So she made it precise. Intentional. Something that required thought, not luck. Even if someone suspected a hidden mechanism and started testing things, they wouldn't immediately figure out the exact sequence.
And that hesitation, that delay, was everything.
It would buy her, and anyone with her, just enough time to get farther away… before anyone realized where they had gone.
Just as Ashley had anticipated, the cellar descended into chaos.
When the warriors found no trace of her, no body, no movement, no lingering scent beyond that point, they didn't hesitate. Convinced her trail ended there, they tore into the place like beasts. Barrels were smashed open, wine flooding across the floor. Racks were shoved aside, splintering under force as they searched every corner, every shadow.
Still—nothing.
No Ashley.
That was when it clicked.
