Chapter 14 The First Shadow

The midnight air inside the mansion felt colder than usual. Leo stood near the corner of the eastern wing, his eyes fixed on the long hallway leading to Bella’s room. His conversation with Captain Vance from earlier that day kept looping in his mind. Tomorrow morning, he was supposed to report to the outer wall gates. Tomorrow, he would be forced to leave Bella completely unprotected.

"Still out here, mate?"

Leo looked up to see Jax walking down the corridor, carrying a small lantern that cast a dim, flickering yellow glow against the stone walls. Jax stopped beside him, setting the lantern down on a small side table.

"I told you to get some rest," Jax said, his voice quiet so it wouldn't echo. "The Captain is dead serious about shifting you to the outer wall tomorrow. If he catches you pulling another all-nighter, he might actually throw you in the cells before the sun comes up."

"I just need to finish this shift, Jax," Leo said, his voice carrying a deep, flat tiredness. "Just let me watch the door until morning."

Jax let out a short sigh, leaning against the wall. "I don't get you, Leo. Seriously. You're treating this girl like she's your own sister or something. She treats you like dirt, the captain is breathing down your neck, and you're still standing here like a statue."

"It's not what you think," Leo muttered, his gaze drifting back to the dark floorboards. He felt a heavy ache in his chest, the constant burden of knowing that a single slip would mean the end of their souls. "I just know what happens if I'm not here. That's all."

"Right, the unseen threats," Jax said, shaking his head, though his tone wasn't mocking. It was just concerning. "Look, I'll take over for an hour. Go down to the guardroom and get a hot drink. You look like a walking corpse."

Leo was about to refuse, but his stomach let out a sharp, empty twist. He hadn't eaten anything since the previous morning. He looked down the hallway toward the kitchen stairs, then back at Bella's closed door. "An hour, Jax? You won't leave the door?"

"I'll stand right here, I swear," Jax said, patting his spear. "Go on."

"Alright," Leo said quietly. "If she wakes up screaming, don't touch her. Just talk to her. Keep your voice calm."

"Yeah, yeah, I know the routine," Jax murmured, waving him off.

Leo walked away, his boots making faint, rhythmic sounds against the stone floor as he headed toward the back stairs. The mansion was completely dark, the servants having gone to sleep hours ago. He descended the narrow staircase that led down to the lower level where the kitchens and storage pantries were located.

As he reached the bottom step, he froze.

The kitchen door was cracked open just an inch, and a faint, thin trail of green light was visible through the gap. It wasn't the regular light of a candle or a torch. It was a strange, sickly glow that seemed to pulse against the shadows.

Leo held his breath, sliding his back against the wall as he crept closer to the door. He peered through the tiny opening.

A tall figure wrapped in a dark cloak was standing right by the large water barrels that supplied the upper floors. The person's face was completely hidden under a deep hood, but their hands were bare. They were holding a small, black glass vial, carefully tipping a thick, shimmering grey powder into the main water source.

Leo’s heart slammed against his ribs. "The poison," his mind screamed. This wasn't like Loop 5 where only the wine was bad. Whoever this was, they were trying to poison the entire water supply of the eastern wing. They were trying to make sure Bella died, no matter what she drank.

The figure finished emptying the vial, tucked it into their cloak, and turned toward the back exit that led into the servant gardens.

Leo's hand instantly went to the hilt of his sword. He wanted to burst through the door, tackle the intruder to the ground, and rip the hood off their face to see who was behind the endless loop of deaths. He needed answers. He needed to know who was writing the script that kept killing her.

But just as he took a step forward, a terrifying thought stopped him dead in his tracks.

If I chase him into the gardens, Jax is alone upstairs, Leo realized, a cold sweat breaking out across his forehead. What if this was a distraction? What if there were more killers waiting in the dark hallways above, waiting for him to leave his post? If he ran after this shadow, Bella could be stabbed to death in her bed before he even reached the courtyard.

He looked at the dark exit where the figure was disappearing, and then he looked back up the dark stairs leading to her room.

The frustration inside him was so intense it made his teeth grind together. He was so close to finding the truth, so close to stopping the cycle, but the fear of losing her fourth life held him back like a heavy chain. He couldn't risk it. He couldn't leave her.

"Damn it," Leo whispered into the dark kitchen.

He turned away from the door, abandoning the chase, and ran back up the narrow stairs as fast as his legs could carry him. He scrambled down the corridor, his breath coming in short, ragged gasps until he rounded the corner and saw Jax still standing by the door.

Jax blinked in surprise as Leo rushed up to him, his face pale and sweating. "Whoa, mate! What's wrong? You look like you saw a demon down there."

"The water," Leo gasped out, grabbing Jax by the shoulder, his grip tight and frantic. "Listen to me, Jax. Go down to the kitchen right now. Seal the main water barrels. Tell the night cooks that nobody is allowed to touch a single drop of water from the eastern wells. It's poisoned."

Jax’s eyes widened in sheer disbelief. "Poisoned? Leo, what are you talking about? Did you see someone?"

"Yes! A cloaked figure by the barrels!" Leo yelled, his voice cracking with pure desperation. "Just go! Call the other guards and secure the kitchen! I'll stay here!"

Jax didn't waste another second. Seeing the absolute terror in Leo's eyes, he knew it wasn't a joke. He grabbed his lantern and sprinted down the hallway toward the stairs, his footsteps fading into the distance.

Leo turned around and pressed his forehead against Bella’s bedroom door, his chest heaving as he tried to calm his racing heart. He could hear her moving around inside, awakened by the sudden shouting in the hall.

The danger wasn't just coming anymore. It was already inside the house, sleeping under the same roof, and he was running out of time to stop it.