bride of vengeance
High above the palace, far beyond where any guard patrolled, a hooded figure stood at the edge of a crumbling tower, looking down at the lit windows below.
They had watched the whole thing. The library. The search. The girl who nearly gave herself away with an answer spoken too quickly.
A smile curved beneath the hood, slow and satisfied.
"The game has begun," the figure whispered, voice carried off by the wind.
Slowly, one gloved hand came up, fingers working at the leather until it slid free. Beneath the glove, where fingers should have been, five curved black claws caught the moonlight instead sharp, unnatural, built for something far more violent than shaking hands.