The Hidden Pact

MAEVIA

The words lingered in the chamber long after Roland spoke them. My hands tightened around the old journal resting on my lap.

I stared at him across the table while my pulse raced. The thought that my mother's enemies might still be alive left me deeply unsettled.

"Alive?" I asked quietly. "You mean the people responsible for what happened to her?"

Roland gave a slow nod. His expression