Izzy's Arc

Chapter 1 of 7

Sunlight streamed through the library windows in fractured golden shafts, spilling across the shelves and warming the spines of a hundred unread stories. It was the kind of light that made the world feel paused—as though time itself waited patiently for someone to finish the next sentence. Isabella had found refuge in this room more times than she could count, but today the stillness felt different. Rare. Fragile. Like something beautiful that might disappear the moment it was disturbed. Dust drifted lazily through the beams of sunlight, turning the air almost magical. Curled on the velvet chaise with her knees drawn beneath her, Isabella was completely lost in the final pages of The Field of Foes. Her fingers tightened around the book as she reached the moment she had been waiting for. Sir John had returned to the castle. Everything was set. If he opened that door—if he spoke the wrong name— The library door burst open. “Eric!” Isabella groaned, clutching the book against her chest. She already knew the look on his face meant trouble. “Don’t you dare—” “He betrays them,” Eric declared, a wicked grin spreading across his face. “Sir John. He gives away the entire plan. The ending is tragic, honestly.” Her mouth fell open. “You vile, insufferable little—” The slipper left her hand before she even thought about it. Eric ducked easily, laughing as he caught it midair with the reflexes of someone who had survived years of Isabella’s dramatic reactions. “It’s a war book, Izzy,” he said, tossing the slipper back toward her. “Everyone dies.” “Not Sir John!” She grabbed the second slipper and threw it. This one struck the edge of the fireplace with a disappointing thud. Eric collapsed onto the chaise across from her, still grinning. “You get too attached. That’s your problem.” “And yours,” she replied, crossing her arms, “is that you ruin everything you touch.” “Next time I throw my shoe at you,” she warned, “I promise I won’t miss.”