The heavy, curtained archway of the Obsidian Lounge swung shut behind us, swallowing the low hum of conversation and the scent of expensive incense. We were plunged back into the ethereal twilight of the Serpent's Heart, the silent waterfalls of liquid moonlight casting long, distorted shadows that seemed to writhe and recoil from our presence. The weight of Morwenna's command was a physical thing, a shroud of ice and shadow that settled over our shoulders. It was not a request; it was a leash.
We stood in silence for a long moment, the unspoken reality of our situation hanging between us. We were no longer guests or curiosities in this subterranean kingdom; we were now players in its deadliest game, pawns in a war we did not understand, sent to hunt a man we did not know. Morwenna's test was a blade with two edges: succeed, and we would earn the attention of a monster like Valerius; fail, and the Coil itself would swallow us whole.
