Within Manor hallroom,
The heavy oak doors groaned as Kaida pushed them open, her boots thudding against the polished stone floor.
The hall was grand, disgustingly so—chandeliers that probably cost more than her entire village dripping from the ceiling, and velvet drapes that smelled of old money and older sins.
But she didn't give a shit about the decor. Her eyes darted around like a hawk until they locked onto a small figure sitting on a plush rug near the hearth.
"Toby!"
The word tore out of her throat, raw and trembling. She didn't even wait for the door to close before she hurled herself across the room, skidding on her knees to reach him. She grabbed the boy, her calloused hands shaking as she checked him over—arms, legs, face. He looked clean. Too clean. Fed. Healthy.
