A Shadowed Rescue
The feast in the grand hall of Silver Creek was in full swing. Laughter and clinking goblets echoed off the stone walls, the scent of roasted meat and spiced wine thick in the air.
Mikey stood at the head of the table, his smug grin widening with each toast raised in his honor. The council had not yet ruled in his favor, but he knew it was only a matter of time. Noelle was locked away, and without her, Nicole would soon belong to him.
Bryan, however, was nowhere in sight.
He's running out of options, Mikey thought smugly as he took another sip of his drink. Good. Let him feel powerless.
But deep beneath the grand hall, the night was anything but celebratory.
Noelle sat on the cold stone floor of the dungeon, her wrists raw from the iron shackles. The damp air smelled of mildew and despair, but she refused to let herself crumble. Nicole needed her. Bryan needed her. She could not—would not—let Mikey win.
