Miri's Pov
They were gone.
The courtyard was quiet, the same breeze moving through the trees as when I left, but everything was wrong. My eyes scanned every shadow, every path, every coven member who passed by with a polite nod and that same cold detachment they all wore like a second skin.
Riven. Caius. Nowhere.
My stomach twisted. I walked faster, then faster still, not quite running but nearly there. They had to have gone back inside. I forced myself to breathe, jaw clenched tight. Maybe the coven witches were staring too hard—maybe they'd gotten uncomfortable waiting, and returned to where it was quieter. Yeah. Maybe.
The room wasn't far. A small, polished space tucked into the guest hall like a decorative afterthought. I shoved the door open, calling out before I even crossed the threshold. "Riven? Caius?"
Nothing.
I stepped into the room. It was exactly as we'd left it this morning.
