Max's stomach tightened. He had fought monsters all his life, but these were different. These were monsters with intelligence in their eyes. Monsters capable of strategy. Capable of infiltrating the very heart of the Middle Domain.
As he studied them, Max felt the shift in the air. The waiting was over.
One of the original three glanced at the others, a guttural snarl escaping his throat before he jerked his chin toward one of the doors at the far end of the chamber. Heavy, double-layered iron, carved with strange, jagged runes that pulsed faintly in the blue torchlight.
The groups began to move, one after another, in silence now. Their chatter died down as they approached the door. A ripple of anticipation moved through them like a wave.
