Valen sat alone in his quarters, the cryptic note resting on the desk before him. The symbol of an eclipse, a dark circle obscuring a sliver of light, stared back at him, taunting him with questions he couldn't yet answer.
"You may have escaped the mark, but the Black Vow is not your only enemy. Watch your back."
The message was clear enough in its warning, but the symbol… that was new. Valen traced a finger along the faint lines, feeling the remnants of a ward embedded in the parchment. Whoever had left this had done so deliberately, ensuring it could only be read by him. But that meant whoever had sent it also knew about his recent struggle with the Black Vow. They knew about his defiance, his severance from the mark's influence, and perhaps even the secrets he had uncovered.
He clenched his fists. Someone's watching me.
