The mansion did not sleep that night.
Even though the Circle's forces had retreated hours earlier, the estate remained alive with movement. Guards moved through the corridors checking for structural damage. Others carried injured men toward the medical room in the east wing. The smell of smoke still hung in the air, clinging to the walls and furniture like a stubborn memory.
By the time the first hint of dawn crept over the distant forest, Vanessa had not slept at all.
She stood on the balcony overlooking the courtyard, her arms resting against the cold iron railing. The pale gray light of morning slowly revealed the damage the darkness had hidden the night before.
Broken stone columns.
Scorched patches of grass.
A section of the outer wall that had partially collapsed where the siege ram struck again and again.
Several of Gale's guards were already outside, moving debris and inspecting the perimeter. The quiet clatter of tools echoed softly through the yard.
