>>Aelin
The dungeon was colder than I remembered.
Even with the sunlight pouring in from the largest cell—beams cutting through the dark like god-spears—it couldn't chase away the damp. The air still smelled like stone, iron, and old blood. But that light… it was bright enough to touch every corner now. Even the shadows had nowhere left to hide.
I walked slowly through the corridor, my boots echoing against the floor. The guards straightened at my approach, one of them stepping forward with a questioning glance.
"Open one of the smaller containment cells," I said, voice firm. "Bring out one of them. Gently."
The hesitation was brief. He bowed once and obeyed, disappearing through a gate of rusted iron.
