"Not every betrayal is born in blood; some begin with a kiss in the dark and end with silence at dawn."
The bridge was soaked in the remnants of salt and storm, slick stone gleaming under the pallid shimmer of returning moonlight. I walked its length alone, my steps echoing in the hush of the night, one of the few moments of solitude left in a world unraveling at the edges.
Then I heard him. "Lord Ardanis," Warden Voss's voice broke the silence like a blade scraping against steel. Calm. Unassuming. As always. I did not stop walking, but I slowed, giving him the illusion of invitation. He came to stand beside me, gazing out at the dark water that had threatened to swallow us whole just hours before.
"It's strange," he said quietly, "how the sea calms so quickly, as if it hides the rage just beneath its skin."
I gave him a sidelong glance, then turned my gaze forward again. "The sea has always been a liar, Warden."
