The mist didn't part so much as thin.
The only sources of light were iron braziers that burned on the side, their flames steady and unbothered by the cold.
Ryn felt it the moment they crossed the threshold.
It was nothing like the Outside.
The outside gate wasn't a gate at all. There were no towering walls or grand arches—nothing that Ryn had expected from the center of civilization.
At the base of the ramp sat a low platform of reinforced stone and wood, stacked with copious amounts of crates and cages.
Bloodmane guards lingered near the edges, moving the shipment slowly within the walls.
Ryn adjusted his posture as they stepped onto the stone, letting his shoulders slump just enough to sell the act.
He gestured subtly for Fritz to do the same, and nodded toward Mira.
With a sharp click, the chain cuffs were tightly wrapped around her hands.
Ryn shoved her forward, just enough for the mist to reveal her form to the guards before he announced himself as well.
