"So… how did it go?"
The chamber was drowned in silence, a silence so deep it pressed against the walls like a living thing. Only the faint flicker of a dying torch offered light, its flame sputtering as if afraid to exist in such a place. The shadows clung to the corners, thick and heavy, swallowing every edge of the room.
From one of those corners, the voice ruptured. The words were not loud, but they carried a weight that seemed to crush the air. Deep, commanding, and cold.
Melissa stiffened at once. She had been waiting for this, dreading it, but hearing the voice so near still sent a shiver down her spine. She turned slowly toward the darkness, though her eyes could not pierce it. A figure lingered there, indistinct, as though the shadows themselves had grown limbs and taken form.
Dropping her gaze, Melissa lowered her head in a gesture of deep respect. Her throat felt dry, but she forced her voice out, smooth and obedient.
