Back at the apartment, they packed for the morning—ropes, lanterns, healing salves, and the scrolls they needed. Maya sketched a rough map of Longhua Castle, marking possible tunnel entrances based on the texts.
"If we are lucky," she said, "one of these leads to the ritual chamber. If not, we will have to fight our way through."
Ash nodded, but his thoughts kept drifting back to the cloaked man. Whoever he was, he wasn't just some mercenary. He knew too much, moved too well.
If he was working for the dragon or one of its allies, they were walking into a trap.
Jagu curled up near the door, his ears twitching at faint sounds. Ash took first watch, sitting by the window with his twin swords in hand.
The night was quiet, but the dragon's presence felt like a storm waiting to break.
Three days until the alignment. Three days to find the statue. outsmart a dragon, and survive whoever was hunting them.
***
