As I stepped back inside the manor, it felt different. It seemed cramped, even though it was warm to step from that chill into the warmth inside, as the heavy oak door creaked shut behind me. Each floorboard creak became more audible, and each shadow grew in size. Lucius's words haunted my thoughts and made me question everything.
I needed to find Avalor. I required answers. The pound of my feet on the marble floors rebounded off the walls as I ran rapidly through my mind. How long was it that Avalor had been keeping things from me? Did he want to use me as Lucius was insisting? Or maybe Lucius was only trying to play games with me? The thought of betrayal on either side made me very, very ill at ease.
