MAYAI woke to urgent knocking on the chamber door.Asher was already moving, reaching for his sword before his eyes were fully open. Years of training made him react before thinking."Your Majesty," Rhea's voice came through the door. "We found her. We found Isabella."I sat up, pulling the sheet around myself. "Where?""Storage room beneath the old kitchens. She has been hiding there since the battle ended."Asher and I dressed quickly, not speaking but moving in synchronized efficiency born of our bond. Within minutes we were following Rhea through the palace corridors.The sun was just beginning to rise, painting the damaged walls in shades of gold and pink. Beautiful, despite everything.We descended into the lower levels of the palace, areas I had never explored. The air grew colder, damper. These storage rooms predated the current structure, carved from the bedrock the palace was built upon.Guards stood outside a heavy wooden door. Inside, I could hear whimpering."She was try
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