Chapter 34 Thirty Four

• Elena
• The flickering candlelight cast long shadows against the walls of my chamber, the golden glow dancing across the polished surfaces. I sat by the vanity, running a comb through my dark hair, deep in thought. Tonight had been… enlightening.
• Zoraya was weaker than I remembered, more fragile, yet still frustratingly resilient in her silence. She should have been broken by now. But no—she lingered, surviving against all odds under the Queen’s protection.