Chapter 5 Shadows That Speak

The moment Lucian left the chapel, Evelyn ran.

Her bare feet slapped against the cold marble, echoing through the endless corridors. She didn't care which way she turned-anything to get away from the altar, the book, and the silver-tipped quill that glinted like a weapon.

But the mansion didn't make it easy.

The hallways twisted back on themselves. Staircases led her up, only to drop her down into the same hallway she'd fled moments before. Her breathing quickened, panic buzzing in her veins. It's alive, she realized. The house is alive.

She stopped in one of the darker corridors, clutching her throat, trying to swallow her fear. That's when she heard it.

"Evelyn..."

Her eyes darted around. The voice was faint, almost like wind whispering through cracks in the walls.

"Over here..."

A shadow near the corner stretched unnaturally, its edges curling like smoke. And then-it moved.

The shadow peeled itself from the wall, pooling across the floor like spilled ink. Evelyn froze, heart hammering. The air around her dropped in temperature, making her skin pebble with cold.

"You're not the first," the voice whispered-not through sound, but directly into her mind. The shadow's shape shifted, forming the outline of a woman with long, trailing hair. "There have been many. All bound. All silenced."

Evelyn mouthed Why me?

The shadow's form wavered, as if the question pained it. "Because you are the last. The chain ends with you... or it never ends at all."

Before she could ask more, footsteps echoed nearby. Heavy. Deliberate.

Lucian.

The shadow melted back into the wall instantly, leaving only cold air in its wake. Evelyn's pulse pounded in her ears. She darted into a side passage, pressing herself against the wall as Lucian passed at the end of the hall.

He paused. Slowly turned his head toward where she hid.

For a moment, she thought he'd seen her. Then his lips curved faintly under the crimson mask. "You can run, little bride," he said softly, almost to himself. "But the house always brings you home."

He walked on.

Evelyn let out a shaky breath, gripping the wall for balance. She wasn't sure if the shadow had been trying to warn her... or if it was just another trap. But one thing was clear-if she was the "last," then she was the only one who could break whatever curse bound this place.

The question was how... without her voice.