The chamber was dimly lit, the heavy drapes drawn just enough to let in slanted beams of the afternoon sun. It was not the grand, gilded meeting hall they had expected, but a private study— warm, quiet, lined with high bookshelves and the scent of parchment and ink. A fire burned low in the hearth, casting flickering shadows over the polished wooden floor.

  Evadne Sharmure was already waiting.

  She stood near the window, half illuminated by the waning light, tall and unnervingly still. She was pale— paler than she should have been, as if the sun had long forgotten her— but there was nothing sickly about her. Her black hair, cut just past her shoulders, framed a face that was both sharp and smooth, the kind of beauty that could be mistaken for gentleness until one looked closer.

  And then there was the mark.

  The moment Callista and Brenna stepped inside, their gazes fell to her forearm, to the small, diamond-shaped brand just visible beneath the loose cuff of her sleeve.

  A Soul Stealer.

  Brenna inhaled sharply. Callista felt something cold crawl up her spine.

  No one else reacted.

  Melissa was too busy scanning the bookshelves, Julia too caught up in assessing Evadne’s posture, her presence. Brandon, standing just slightly in front of Annemarie, seemed more focused on the way Evadne’s gaze flicked over them— curious, but not unkind.

  If she noticed the way Callista and Brenna stiffened, she didn’t comment. Instead, she turned to them with a small, knowing smile.

  “You must be exhausted,” she said smoothly. “Traveling in and out of the Mirrorwood is no small feat.”

  Her voice was softer than Callista had expected. Measured, careful.

  Callista forced herself to lift her chin, to push past the thundering of her pulse. “We’re used to exhaustion.”

  Evadne studied her for a moment, then nodded, as if she had expected that response. “Of course.” She gestured toward the chairs arranged in a loose semicircle near the hearth. “Please, sit. We have much to discuss.”

  There was a moment of hesitation— Callista saw Julia glance toward Brandon, saw the way Annemarie’s brow furrowed just slightly. But then Melissa flopped into the nearest chair without hesitation, and that broke whatever tension had been forming. The others followed, some slower than others.

  Evadne took the seat across from them, folding her hands neatly in her lap. “I was told you intend to break the Curse.”

  Callista met her gaze evenly, though everything in her screamed to look away. “Yes.”

  Evadne hummed, tilting her head slightly. “Ambitious. But then again, surviving the Mirrorwood at all is no small feat. You must be... remarkable.”

  There was something about the way she said it, something careful and almost hungry beneath the surface of her words.

  Callista forced her shoulders to remain loose, her expression impassive. “We’re alive. That’s enough.”

  “Is it?” Evadne asked, and though she was smiling, there was something in her eyes— something that said she already knew the answer.

  A silence stretched between them, thin and charged. Then, Julia cleared her throat. “We came here because we need information,” she said, leaning forward. “We know the Curse didn’t appear out of nowhere. It wasn’t just some act of divine punishment, no matter what people believe. Someone did this. Someone made the Mirrorwood what it is now.”

  Evadne tapped a single finger against the arm of her chair. “And you think I know who.”

  Julia’s lips pressed together. “We think you might know something.”

  Evadne exhaled softly, as if considering. Then, to Callista’s surprise, she nodded. “I may.” The room seemed to tighten.

  “But,” Evadne continued, “information is a delicate thing. If you truly want answers, you must understand— what you are seeking is not just knowledge. It is history soaked in blood. The Mirrorwood did not become what it is overnight. It took decades of suffering, of slow unraveling. And those responsible...” she trailed off, her gaze flicking to Callista once more. “Well. Some of them were not as lost as we believed.”

  Callista’s throat tightened.

  “What are you saying?” Brandon asked, voice low.

  Evadne’s lips curved slightly. “I’m saying there are more ghosts in this story than the ones we tell children.”

  A chill pricked at the back of Callista’s neck.

  Evadne leaned forward just slightly, resting her hands on her knees. “If you wish to untangle the Mirrorwood’s secrets, I will help you.” Her gaze settled fully on Callista now, sharp and assessing. “But tell me, Duchess of Byfox— how exactly did you escape the fate that swallowed your land?”

  The fire crackled. The shadows stretched. And Callista— every instinct in her body screaming to run— wasn’t sure how to answer.

  Evadne studied them for a long moment, the firelight casting flickering shadows across her sharp features. Then, with a measured nod, she leaned back in her chair. “I will help you,” she repeated simply.

  A breath Callista hadn’t realized she was holding slipped from her lungs.

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  “But not tonight,” Evadne continued, rising smoothly to her feet. “I need time. The Mirrorwood is no ordinary curse, and if I am to aid you, I must be sure of what I can offer.”

  Julia frowned. “And you need a night to figure that out?”

  Evadne smiled, but there was something unreadable in the curve of her lips. “I have resources you do not.” Her gaze flicked to Callista again, assessing, searching. “Rest. Return tomorrow, and we will discuss how best to proceed.”

  Melissa exhaled loudly. “Great. Homework.”

  Evadne ignored her, turning toward the door. “I will have a servant escort you to your rooms.”

  Brandon hesitated. “How do we know you won’t just disappear?”

  Evadne glanced at him, and though her expression didn’t change, something behind her eyes sharpened. “Because I am not your enemy, Brandon Larimer.”

  His jaw tensed at the use of his full name, but he said nothing.

  Callista stood, smoothing her coat with careful precision. “Tomorrow, then.”

  Evadne gave a small, almost approving nod. “Tomorrow.” She turned away, moving toward a bookshelf on the far side of the room, and with that, they were dismissed.

  The palace halls were quiet as they followed their assigned attendant— a young woman with a freckled face and a nervous energy that suggested she wasn’t used to escorting unexpected guests. The walk was long, winding through corridors of old marble and high-arched ceilings, the torches casting flickering golden light along the walls.

  “Are we just trusting her now?” Brenna muttered, keeping her voice low.”

  “No,” Julia said simply. “But we need her.”

  Melissa stretched her arms above her head, yawning. “She’s creepy, but at least she didn’t try to murder us right off the bat. That’s a good start.”

  Brandon, walking just behind them, was less convinced. “She knew our names,” he said quietly. “Even the ones we never told her.”

  Callista barely heard them. She was still turning Evadne’s words over in her mind. How, exactly, did you escape the fate that swallowed your land?

  She didn’t know what answer Evadne had been hoping for. And that unsettled her more than she cared to admit.

  They reached their rooms a few minutes later— a suite, as expected, given her status. The doors opened into a spacious sitting area, a fireplace already lit, the furniture arranged with effortless elegance. Through a second doorway, Callista could see a grand bedroom, draped in deep reds and golds.

  “Well,” Melissa said, flopping dramatically onto one of the velvet chairs. “At least the noble treatment doesn’t suck.”

  Callista ignored her, moving toward the window. The view overlooked the city— Swynden, dark and sprawling, its streets alive with torchlight and movement.

  I will help you.

  Evadne’s voice echoed in her mind. She didn’t believe her. But for now, there was nothing to do but wait.

  The fire crackled in the hearth, filling the suite with a soft golden light, but the warmth did nothing to ease the tension pressing down on the room. Callista stood near the window, arms crossed, watching the dark city beyond the glass. Brenna sat stiffly in one of the chairs, her fingers drumming restlessly against the armrest. The others had settled in, exhaustion weighing them down after the long day, but Callista could tell none of them were ready to sleep.

  “We can’t trust her,” Callista said finally.

  Melissa, sprawled across a couch, groaned. “Wow, shocking. And here I was thinking our creepy, all-knowing new friend was completely normal.”

  Julia ignored her, leaning forward. “Why?”

  Callista turned from the window, exchanging a glance with Brenna before answering. “Evadne Sharmure isn’t just an advisor. She’s an Eldramori.”

  Silence.

  Melissa blinked. “Okay. And that means?”

  Brenna sat up straighter, expression grim. “She’s a Soul Stealer.”

  This time, the reaction was more immediate. Brandon tensed, and Annemarie’s brow furrowed in concern. Julia, however, didn’t flinch— she simply nodded, as if filing the information away, calculating. “I don’t know much about Eldramoria,” she admitted. “My father mentioned them in his journals, but never in detail. He mostly referred to them in passing.” She turned her gaze to Callista and Brenna. “I’m guessing you two know more.”

  Brenna exhaled slowly. “Yeah. We do.”

  Callista moved toward the sitting area, resting her hands on the back of a chair. “Eldramoria— Soul Stealers, in the colloquium— are a form of magic user, where their magic is tied to souls. Most of them are only able to sense things— people’s presence, strong emotions, the echoes of where someone has been. They have an awareness of life that others don’t.”

  Brandon frowned. “So she knew our names because...?”

  “Because she can feel us,” Brenna said quietly. “Maybe she overheard rumors, maybe she pieced things together, but I guarantee she already knew a lot about us the moment we walked into that room.”

  Julia tapped her fingers against her knee, thinking. “That’s... unsettling, but not necessarily dangerous. You’re making it sound like it is.”

  Callista nodded. “It is dangerous. Most Soul Stealers never amount to much. Their magic is passive, their abilities are limited. But Evadne?” She exhaled sharply. “Either she’s extremely cunning, or she’s very powerful. You don’t get that kind of influence in Swynden— whispering in the ears of two rulers— without being one or the other. Or both.”

  Brandon’s jaw tightened. “Great.”

  Melissa rubbed at her temples. “Okay, but what else can they do? Like, the name ‘Soul Stealer’ isn’t exactly comforting.”

  Brenna hesitated. “Most of them can’t actually steal anything. That’s a myth.”

  “Mostly,” Callista corrected.

  Brenna sighed. “Mostly.”

  Melissa squinted. “Mostly?”

  Callista straightened. “There are rumors— very old, very well-buried— that some of the most powerful Eldramoria can pull from others. Not just sense emotions, but influence them. Not just detect a presence, but drain it. It’s why they were called Soul Stealers in the first place.”

  Annemarie shifted in her seat. “And you think Evadne...?”

  Callista didn’t answer straight away. Instead, she stared at the fire, the flames twisting in the dim light. “I think she didn’t get to where she is by being harmless.”

  The words settled like a stone in the room.

  Julia exhaled. “Well. That’s fantastic news.”

  Brandon ran a hand over his face. “So we have to deal with her.”

  “Yeah,” Callista said. “We do.”

  Melissa clapped her hands together, forcing a grin. “Okay, cool, so: we’re making deals with a possibly very dangerous, very creepy soul lady who might be stealing our essence or whatever. Great. Love that. Let’s all make sure we don’t, you know, die horribly tomorrow.”

  Brenna scoffed. “That would be a nice change of pace.”

  Callista sighed, rubbing at her temples. “We’ll be careful. We’ll go in tomorrow, we listen, we learn. But we do not trust her. No matter how helpful she seems.”

  Julia nodded, looking around at the group. “Agreed?”

  One by one, they all murmured their assent.

  And in the quiet that followed, the fire burned lower, the shadows deepened, and Callista wondered if Evadne Sharmure already knew exactly what they had discussed.