What it revealed froze every heart for a breath.
Hundreds of bats! Each one the size of a man or larger, their grotesque, leathery bodies clinging to the floor, the walls, and the arched ceiling far above. Their wings were wrapped tightly like cloaks, their heads tucked low, but their eyes gleamed. Waiting for them. Breathing in unison with a low, churning rhythm.
The torch's light shimmered across their flesh like a ripple over oil.
And then…
SCREEEEEEECH!!!
A single, piercing cry tore through the air like a blade, shrill and deafening, echoing through the cavern in a wave of madness. It was followed by another. Then dozens. Then hundreds.
The walls themselves seemed to scream. The air trembled as the bones on the floor rattled.
Kaelor's expression shifted instantly, a grim, sharpened edge carved into his features as he turned on his heel, sprinting back to the Guardsmen.
