(Rosaline's POV)
The scream tore through the night.
I bolted upright in bed, heart slamming so hard it hurt. For a split second, I didn't know where I was—the silk sheets, the canopy above me, the faint glow of mana-lamps along the walls of my chamber all blurred together.
Then it came again.
A sharp cry of pain, cut short.
My feet hit the floor before my mind caught up.
I didn't bother with slippers. I threw open the chamber doors and ran, skirts gathered in my fists as I followed the sound toward the eastern grounds.
The stables.
My chest tightened.
No—
No, no, no.
Torches burned along the path, their light casting jagged shadows across the stone. Guards stood nearby, watching with detached expressions. That alone chilled me more than the scream had.
They weren't alarmed.
They were used to this.
I slowed as I reached the stables, breath shallow, heart pounding so violently I thought it might break free of my ribs.
And then I saw him.
