They split, moving low along the alcove's edge until they found a narrow stair cut into the rock, descending toward the chamber floor in shadow.
Valen reached the captives first, sliding a blade beneath the nearest set of chains with practiced, silent efficiency.
The elf he freed — an older man, hollow-eyed, barely able to stand — stared at him in disbelieving silence for a heartbeat before understanding dawned, and he scrambled to help with the others.
"Quietly," Valen breathed. "Move quietly, and we might all live through this."
Doran crouched nearby, watching the guards' positions with tense focus, his hand resting on the hilt of a borrowed blade he clearly hoped he wouldn't need to use.
It took less than a minute for the first guard to notice.
"HEY—" The shout cut through the chamber, immediately drawing a dozen heads. "The captives are loose—!"
Chaos erupted.
