The stone passage loomed ahead like the gaping maw of some ancient beast, wide enough to accommodate a hundred men shoulder-to-shoulder, yet it felt suffocatingly narrow.
Flickering torches sputtered weakly in iron sconces along the walls, their flames struggling against the stale air that clung to them like a shroud.
The faint echo of boots reverberated off the high ceiling, mingling with the ragged breaths of weary soldiers.
At the forefront marched Caelum, his polished armor now streaked with grime and his once-proud cloak tattered at the hem.
Sweat glistened on his temples despite the chill that hung in the air.
He held his chin high, forcing strength into each step, but his eyes darted nervously,up at the ceiling, across the walls, down at the floor.
The tomb had stripped away layers of confidence with every corpse it claimed.
What had started as more than seventy men under his command now dwindled to less than a dozen.
