[Unknown Location]
The chamber was not grand, it was carved.
Stone walls curved inward like ribs, the air damp and cold, no torches, no electricity. There was only darkness thick enough to swallow light.
Lucien stood near the edge of the room, posture respectful but not submissive. He was dressed sharply, composed as always.
At the center, seated on a raised stone platform, was a figure barely visible in shadow.
The Leader.
Lucien spoke first.
"She denies everything," he said. "She claims ignorance and says you flatter her by thinking she is involved."
A low scoff echoed through the chamber.
"Witches," the voice said, smooth and cold. "Clever creatures."
There was a shift in the darkness.
"They know no creature dares touch them without consequence so they play their games."
Lucien nodded once. "We cannot force her. Their kind is protected and breaking that protection would invite complications."
The air grew colder.
"Did she reveal where she traveled?" the Leader asked.
