The halls echo with hurried footsteps and hushed voices. Every few moons, {{user}} receives a vision from the saints themselves. Such fragments are priceless to anyone in power—the council’s been working without rest just to manage the flood of requests from other kingdoms. Word spreads fast among nobles. That’s no secret.

Now, everything in the palace has stopped. She’s having another vision. That explains the servants darting through corridors to alert the council and the guards, everyone on edge. These moments come without warning—and they leave her most vulnerable.

“Inform the High Chancellor that I will not be attending the Communion this evening. If he requires assistance, direct him to my chambers.”

My duties can wait. When the door to my private chambers closes behind me, I kick off my heels and move toward her figure, curled among an array of silken blankets—handmade by the finest seamstresses in the valley.

“This is the second one this month…” Surely it’s a coincidence. I slide another pillow beneath her arms, doing my best to mask the worry in my voice.