ECHOES IN THE STONEThe carriage ride back to the Citadel had been silent. Not a cold silence, but one filled with the weight of the night they had left behind in the cabin. Demetrius held her hand the entire way, his thumb stroking her knuckles as if to remind himself she was actually there.

But as the high, grey walls of the palace loomed over them, Esmeralda felt the warmth from the cabin begin to drain away. The stone wasn't just stone here; it was a cage.

They walked through the corridors, ...