Von smirked to himself as he edged around the clearing, keeping to the shadows.
He had always been able to sneak in and out of the castle undetected when he lived here. The secret passage was hidden deep within the forest, a place known only to him—a narrow crack in the outer wall that had been long forgotten by the current inhabitants and couldn't be repaired with magic.
It was how he used to escape his duties and venture into the world beyond.
He moved quickly now, his pulse steady, his instincts guiding him.
The passage was close, and if he remembered correctly, it should still be there, untouched and unguarded.
Von slipped between two massive oaks and into a narrow pathway, hidden from view by thick, overgrown vines.
The air was cooler here, almost damp, and the sound of the forest grew muffled as he descended deeper into the shadows.
There it was—just as he had left it.
