“Good.”
He strides over and stops, towering over me.The gold rim of his spectacles frame eyes the colour of moonlight, but it’s the flecks of grey and blue glistening in the sun that keep me staring.Heat flashes up my neck as the silence between us thickens.
I clear my throat, forcing my gaze away anywhere but him.
“Let’s go.”His expression turns as flat and emotionless as his voice.
The chains rattle as he fixes them to the loop on my manacles, the firm click heavy with the weight of my confinement.
* * *
Each step echoes across marble,the air heavy with oil and stone.We walk in silence, Kael in front, dragging me along—just as he did on our journey here.
As we descend toward the lower levels of the Guild Hall, high ceilings give way to narrow corridors.White marble bleeds into pale limestone, then brick, then something older: rock veined with dull metal, like a spine running through the building’s heart.Ornate lamps are replaced by iron brackets; windows vanish into walls.Even the people change, turning into guards with faces as cold as the stone.
Pressure builds.The scent of stale, damp earth and dust coats my nostrils as I try to breathe through the confinement.It’s no use, the knot in my throat only tightens, and my lungs burn for air.
My feet ground to the spot, causing Kael to jerk back.I hunch forward, grabbing my shaking knees and fighting to steady my nerves.His eyes are the last place I want to see my own terror reflected.
“What are you doing?”he demands, derision lacing his words.
“I need a minute?—”
“Get a grip.”He pulls the chain taut, the force dragging me to the floor.“The High Commander is waiting.”
The skin on my knees feels tender from the impact; I know they’ll be mottled with black and purple bruises by tonight.A small whimper escapes me as my shadows curl tighter against my spine.
“Got any advice?”I rasp.
“If you scream,” he says quietly, “don’t fight it.”
A dry, splintered laugh hacks from my throat.“That’s your advice?”
His voice drops, barely a whisper.“It’s survival.”
I meet his gaze, cold and unwavering.“Then survive watching.”
His lip curls as he offers his hand.“I always do.”
I knock it aside and spit at his feet, a curse hissing through my teeth.
Instinct takes over; he raises the hand intended for my cheek but freezes mid-strike.His jaw tightens before he regains his grip on the chains.
“Fine.Get up yourself.”
I stumble upright, wincing as pain shoots through my joints.I set my shoulders and lift my chin high.He huffs, rolling his eyes as he continues leading me down the corridor.
We reach a circular door etched with runes that hum and glow at our approach.Kael places his palm against the wood, and the symbols ignite one by one in a perfect, golden circle.
Cold air spills out, smelling of incense and something sharper—bitter.We pass two guards stationed inside the threshold.
The room—like the door—is circular, with high vaulted ceilings.It’s disorientating to be so deep beneath the Guild Hall, yet standing in such a wide, open space.
Mirrors of polished silver line the walls, their edges lined with light-script.A lone table sits in the centre—not a bed, not a slab, but something in between.Runes web its surface, dim as sleeping embers.
A man with amber eyes waits beside it, his blonde hair combed to perfection.Chainmail covers his broad frame—an outfit fit for a battlefield, surely not for whatever is about to happen here.He stands with thumbs spinning idly in his crossed hands.
“Seren,” he says, smiling like it costs him nothing.“I am High Commander Riven.I’ll be conducting your testing today.”
