The world had narrowed to pain.
Bai Yue didn't know how long they had dragged her. Through passages. Down stairs. Past cells filled with shadows and the smell of old despair. Her wrists were bound behind her back with rough vines that bit into her skin every time she struggled.
She struggled a lot.
"Stop moving," the jaguar guard growled, yanking her forward.
"Where are you taking me?"
"Shut up."
"Where are the others? Where's my—"
Thwack.
The back of his hand caught her across the mouth. Blood welled on her lip. She tasted iron.
"I said shut up."
Bai Yue didn't shut up. But she stopped asking questions. For now.
They threw her into a room.
It was small, windowless, lit by a single torch. The walls were stone, carved with images of jaguars devouring their prey. In the center of the room stood a chair.
Not a comfortable chair.
Iron. Bolted to the floor. Armrests stained dark with old blood.
And beside the chair, smiling, stood Li Hua.
"Leave us," Li Hua said.
