The moon had barely begun to set, but I was already awake.
I sit at my desk, the glow of a single crystal lamp casting long shadows across the room. The curtains remain open, letting in the faint lavender haze of dawn. Beneath my fingertips is the stillness of glass, the silence before a storm. My eyes don't move from the wall across from me.
"Elara," I say quietly, and the command slices through the air like a blade.
She enters without sound, dressed in black, her feet bare, hair braided down her back.
"Get Celeste," I say.
A pause. "Now?"
I don't blink. "Now."
She vanishes as quickly as she came.
Moments later, the soft tapping of heels echoes through the corridor, quick, but not rushed. Celeste steps into the room, still tugging a jacket over her silk camisole. Her golden hair is braided into a messy knot, and sleep clings to her eyes—but she doesn't complain. She knows better.
"You called?"
I nod once. "We're burning Kade to the ground."
That wakes her.
