Page 13 of Dark Night of the Soul

Piers. I looked over, saw the plain envelope in his outstretched hand. I moved across the room, took it. No seal. No markings. My name written across the front in careful, deliberate script.

“Thanks,” I said.

And Piers retreated back to the hallway.

I didn’t open it right away. Because whatever was inside wasn’t a message I wanted. I walked back across the room, dropped the glass on the cart.

The paper was thick. Heavier than it should have been. Deliberate.

I opened it.

The note inside was short. Four lines. No signature.

You’ve had your freedom.

You’ve made your choice.

Now it’s time to understand the cost.

Bring her to us—or we’ll come to you.

No threats. No flourish.

Inevitability.

My hand tightened around the paper until it crumpled. Heat flared beneath my skin, old instincts rising like ghosts. They wanted fear. Urgency. Reaction.

They would get none of it.

I smoothed the note and folded it again, slipping it into the pocket of my pants. Anna couldn’t see this. Not yet. The moment she did, she’d brace for impact and Sebastian was counting on that.

I stayed at the window longer than necessary, watching the grounds as if willing threats into revealing themselves. The Brotherhood always moved in shadows first. They wanted anticipation to do the damage.

I knew that game. I’d helped design it.

The note weighed heavier in my pocket than any blade I’d ever carried. Not because of the threat, but because of the choice it demanded.

Bring her to us.

I closed my eyes for a moment and the past rose unbidden. Stone corridors. Oaths spoken in blood and fire. Orders followed without question because questioning had been carved out of me piece by piece.

I had survived because I learned how to become what they needed.

The thought turned in my gut now, sharp and unwelcome.

If protecting Anna meant becoming that man again—

No.

The denial came fast. Instinctive. But denial had never stopped the Brotherhood before.

I exhaled and forced my hands to unclench. She believed in choice. In agency. In fighting with her feet planted firmly in the light.

She had no idea what shadows I could still reach into.

The realization settled cold and steady.

Sebastian believed this was a test. A line drawn.