Valen walked ahead, her steps measured and unhurried, though the tightness in her shoulders betrayed the strain she refused to show openly.
Lucas followed just behind her, his usual ease replaced with something far sharper, his expression set in a way that suggested he was already expecting the worst.
"She better have something useful to say," Lucas muttered, his voice low but edged with frustration as his gaze flickered briefly toward the cells ahead. "Because if this leads to another dead end, I might actually lose what little patience I have left."
"Then do not lose it yet, we are not even half way done." she replied calmly, though her tone carried a quiet firmness that suggested she was holding onto her own restraint by a thread.
Lucas huffed softly, "that depends entirely on whether our friend in there decides to cooperate," he said, though his gaze sharpened slightly as they approached the guarded cell at the far end of the corridor.
