The heavy velvet curtains muffled the world into silence, leaving Maya alone with her daughter’s soft breaths. She had only just dismissed the maids when hurried knocks rattled against the chamber doors.
“Enter,” Maya snapped, her voice sharp, her eyes still rimmed red from holding back rage.
The maids stumbled in, trembling like leaves caught in a storm. Their faces were pale, their hands shaking as though they had been clawing at death itself.
One of them stammered, “L-Luna… forgive us, but… while plucking the herbs you asked for… we...we met someone.”
Maya’s brows knitted together, her irritation spiking. “What the f**k do you mean, met someone? You were sent to pluck plants, not gossip.”
Another maid dropped to her knees, eyes wide with fear. “It was a familiar being, Luna. A man…
