The clanking of keys jolted me awake.
It was already afternoon, or what passed for it in this place, bleeding through the cracks in the dungeon wall, pale and cold. The door creaked open, and two guards stepped inside, their armor whispering against the silence.
"On your feet," one of them ordered.
I rose slowly, as they cuffed my wrists. My legs ached from days of stillness, yet somehow, they still carried me as the guards ushered me out of the cell. Confusion furrowed my brows.
"Where are you taking me?" I asked, my voice echoing through the narrow corridor.
The torches cast long, wavering shadows across the stone. Each step sounded like countdown. Steady and inevitable, drawing me closer to the double doors ahead.
It had only been a day. Wasn't the Blood Council tomorrow? Or had I slept too long?
