Behind me, Malphas said nothing. But I heard his footsteps, silent as they were, keeping pace.
"Hatchling," Raya's voice came, sharp and urgent in my mind. "The tower. Something has changed. The wards—"
"I know." I took the stairs two at a time, my lungs burning, my legs screaming, my mind running through every conversation I'd ever had with Evelyn, every cup of tea, every piece of advice, every quiet moment when she'd been there, watching, waiting. "I know."
"The egg. If it hatches—"
"I know!"
I burst out of the stairwell into the great hall, and stopped.
The hall was empty. The fire in the eastern gallery had spread, the smoke thick enough to sting my eyes. The bodies of the three servants who had been helping Evelyn were on the floor, their throats cut with a precision that spoke of decades of practice.
