C15 Mother's instinct

The castle's silence felt unusual, like an unsettling calm before a heavy storm. Elara awoke from a restless sleep, her hand reflexively resting on her tummy. She felt a surge of protectiveness and an unexplained sense of urgency. She couldn't shake the sense that something—or someone—was watching.

The events of the past days spun in her mind like a maelstrom. Mara's caustic plots