Chapter 1 - The Stranger by the Pillars
The crystal chandeliers overhead suddenly hummed, a strange, low vibration that seemed to curdle the air in the ballroom. Margaret remained frozen on her knees, the folded yellowed note clutched in one hand, the golden locket trembling in the other. Her eyes darted away from the frightened child and locked onto the shadows beneath the far marble arches.
It was Elena.
Or at least, a ghost of her. Standing half-concealed by the gold-leafed pillars was a woman wearing an emerald-green velvet evening coat, identical to the description passed down through decades of whispers. Her dark hair was swept back in the exact same style Margaret wore every day. But it was the cold, unblinking stare that made Margaret’s blood run ice-cold.
Before Margaret could stand, the woman in green turned and slipped seamlessly through the service exit into the gardens.
“Ma’am?” the head security guard whispered, stepping forward, breaking the trance. “Should we detain the child?”
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“No,” Margaret breathed, her voice a sharp hiss. She stood up, handing the child gently to her personal assistant. “Keep her safe. Lock the west wing. Let no one in or out.”
Without another word, Margaret hiked the hem of her designer gown and sprinted toward the doors the stranger had just vanished through.
