Chapter 14

from the chandeliers swayed as a sudden wind slipped through the high windows. Servants moved between the long tables with fresh platters, their steps measured. Levarro kept his smile fixed while his thoughts drifted to the empty seat at the far end of the hall, the one reserved for a prince who had not returned.

Across the room, a flicker of blue caught his eye. A faint shimmer pulsed beneath the skin of one of the visiting maidens. She sat between two others, her fingers tracing the rim of her cup without lifting it. Her gaze met his for a single heartbeat before she looked away.

Levarro set his chalice down. The weight of tomorrow pressed against the fragile peace of this moment. He wondered how many of these faces would still be present when the first Signus fully awakened.