shadow and bone · fantasy · romance · polyamory · magic · grisha · darkling · alina stargova · mal oretsev · nikolai lantsov
Silence draped over the Little Palace like a heavy cloak. Within, sleep claimed all except the vigilant soldiers, their rifles slung tight against their shoulders as they stood guard. The full moon hung high, casting a pale, ghostly glow over the stone facade, dimly illuminating the slumbering bedrooms. Outside, a biting, chilling breeze whipped through the night, stinging the guards' faces as they maintained their stoic, frozen posts in the cold darkness.