Sienna's Pov

I stood outside the big iron gates of Blackwood Fortress feeling small and cold even though it was late summer. The guards didn't talk much to me. They just opened the gates and pushed me inside through a long stone hallway with torches burning on the walls. My small bag got taken away at the entrance, one guard said I wouldn't need it tonight. My heart was pounding so hard I thought it might jump out of my chest.

A woman in a dark robe met me halfway down the hall. She looked older and her eyes were sharp. "Sienna Vale," she said like she was checking a...