After Caspian left, I curled into the corner of the bed. My body burned with fever, and a vicious pain twisted through my lower abdomen, but no one came.
Looking back now, meeting Seraphina Blackthorn was the single greatest regret of my life.
Somewhere in the haze of unconsciousness, I caught the distant sound of a Bloodhowl threading through the night air outside the window. The frequency that only Ashvale blood could produce, and only Ashvale-sworn sentinels could answer.
Only then did I let myself breathe, and smile.
Long ago, my father and I had made a pact: no matter when or where, if a Bloodhowl carried on the wind, it meant I was in danger. Someone would come to take me away.
At some point, Seraphina arrived. She sat at the edge of my bed for a long while.
When she saw me open my eyes, she touched my forehead. "The fever's broken. Come on, sit up and have some broth."