Chapter 7: Eyes in the Dark
The next morning brought fog so thick it blanketed the villa like a shroud. Lira stepped outside with a basket of clean bandages, only to pause at the sight of footprints—fresh ones—leading from the treeline to the back wall of the villa.
She dropped the basket.
"Prince!"
He was already moving, coat half-on, a small metal tray of instruments in his hand. He knelt beside the prints and traced them with two fingers.
"Heavy step. Trying to move quietly, but not trained." He glanced up. "They were watching."
Lira swallowed. "You think it's the palace?"
"No," he said softly. "The palace would knock."
---
That afternoon, a traveling scholar arrived—young, clean-shaven, dressed in muted green robes with the golden insignia of the Royal Academy stitched to his sash. His name was Corwin, and he had the smile of someone who already thought he was the smartest person in the room.