Chapter 60 The Silent War

• It was too quiet at night. Too still. The foreboding calm that had descended across the grounds made every breath feel heavy. There was an implicit menace lurking in every shadow, and I could feel the tension in the air, like a storm about to break. Even after Sebastian and I had moved on from the cursed lake, its shadows still seemed to follow us around. I kept thinking about that spirit's warning: "The path you walk is treacherous. and not everyone who walks it will make it out alive.
• The hilt of my knife felt chilly against my palm, a comforting weight as I tightened my grasp. Sebastian walked quietly beside me, his gaze sweeping the shadowed forest trail as we neared the secret haven where rumors of rebellion had begun to germinate. Given all we had witnessed, we were both aware that going there was dangerous. But we had to take the chance.
• Sebastian whispered, "The Collectors have been too quiet recently," in a low voice that seemed unwilling to break the silence.