••{RHIANNON'S POV}••
Darkholme feels different now.
Not quieter.
If anything, it feels louder than ever.
My footsteps echo against the stone floors as I walk through the corridors, and everywhere I look there are soldiers.
At every turn.
At every archway.
At every crossing in the hall.
Most of the palace guards were slaughtered during the massacre in the throne room when Samæl's hidden allies revealed themselves.
That one night didn't just leave blood and bodies scattered throughout the floors. It tore through the castle's defenses.
And Seraphine clearly has no intention of leaving Darkholme vulnerable again.
So now soldiers from Darkholme's army have been deployed throughout the palace.
Not guards.
Soldiers.
