Two days after her conversation with Mara about Damian waking, Selene realized she needed more than just the healer's help.
She needed allies. People she could trust. People who could help expose Alaric when the time came.
And Mara was the first. The most obvious. The one already in on the plan.
But they needed to formalize it. Needed to strategize. Needed to prepare for when Damian woke and everything came to a head.
Late that night, Mara came to Selene's chambers again. Silent as a ghost. Moving through the castle like she owned it after forty years of service. The tap of her cane on stone was so soft it barely registered, a rhythm Selene had learned to recognize in the darkness.
"He's waking," Mara said without preamble. "Could be conscious as early as tomorrow. We need to finalize our plans."
Selene's heart leaped. Finally. Finally this nightmare could end. Her hands trembled where they rested on the arms of her chair, knuckles white from gripping the carved wood.
