[House Karzath—Evening—The Same Day]
Evening did not arrive gently at House Karzath—it arrived in smoke. The carriage of Lady Arinaya had barely come to a halt when—
"Faster—get more water!" The shout tore through the courtyard, panicked and uncontrolled.
Lady Arinaya stepped down and stilled as she saw the thick, black smoke rising from the upper wing of her chamber.
Her gaze sharpened instantly. "…What is happening?"
Without waiting, she moved fast and measured. And as soon as she arrived, internal chaos had already taken root. Servants rushed past with buckets. Water struck stone. Flames hissed but did not surrender easily.
"My lady—!" one attendant stumbled forward, breath uneven. "Your chamber—it—"
"…It burns," Arinaya finished coldly.
She did not slow; she ascended the stairs, and there—at the far end of the corridor—Rakhane stood still, arms folded watching, and beside him—Azahrakaal—aka—Serath Min moved in restless agitation.
