The shadow extending into the archive room didn't just stretch across the floor; it seemed to pull the light right out of the air.
Kyle's fingers tightened on the hilt of his blade, the cold metal biting into his palm. His chest rose and fell in a slow, calculated rhythm, trying to force his lungs to expand against the freezing, suffocating weight pressing down on the chamber. Beside him, Elara was dead silent. Her breath had completely locked up, her eyes wide as she watched the corridor entrance.
The dragging sound of the iron links stopped.
