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They went inside after that, leaving the balcony to the twilight. The children were called in for supper, washed, tucked into bed, and lulled to sleep with stories of the old forest.

When the doors to their chambers were shut and quiet fell over the stronghold, Malphas poured two cups of warm spiced wine and sat across from Aria at the table by the hearth.

He looked at her for a long moment, turning the cup slowly in his hands. Then he said, quiet and steady: “I have something to tell you. Something I found months ago. In the deepest archives of the Labyrinth. I did not speak of...