Elara barely remembered walking back to her chamber. The corridors blurred past her, walls of dark stone closing in as her footsteps echoed hollowly.
Each step felt heavier, like she was wading through a thick fog. The air in the castle was always cold, but today it clung to her skin like ice, sinking into her bones. She couldn't shake the feeling of Ravenor's hand on her chin, his voice wrapping around her like a chain.
"Good girl."
The words replayed in her head, twisting her stomach into knots. She pushed the heavy door of her chamber open and stepped inside, the familiar emptiness doing nothing to ease her turmoil. Without thinking, she moved toward the small bathing pool in the corner of the lavatory, its water still from earlier in the day.
