The heavy silver door felt like a block of solid ice against the small of Elara's back. It was the only barrier standing between the broken remnants of the Guild and the towering nightmare standing just a few feet away.
The booming echo of Morcant's iron cane striking the stone floor vibrated straight through the thick metal behind her. The sound rattled the teeth in her jaw.
The High Elder stood perfectly straight at the edge of the dark cavern, his pristine dark furs and spotless leather boots looking completely out of place in the underground prison.
He looked clean. The Guild looked like they had already died.
The physical toll of their desperate escape had finally pushed their human bodies past the absolute breaking point. The air inside the deep cavern reeked of wet stone, old blood, and the sour stink of exhausted bodies trapped too long in winter armor.
