Chapter 41: Shadows Above the Gate
The last of the cultists were slammed facedown onto the stone, their wrists bound tight behind their backs.
The bribed guards stood pale and trembling, surrounded by Theron's knights, their lies already crumbling.
Billy had stopped screaming, but he still clung to Hannah like a lifeline, his face buried in her cloak, small shoulders shaking with silent sobs.
Hannah brushed his hair back gently, her own hands still raw from the ropes, her cheek stinging where it had scraped the courtyard.
Bart had come to, a dark bruise blooming along his temple. He stood stiff beside her, jaw tight, eyes never leaving the prisoners.
Mike paced restlessly, bow still in hand, glancing warily at the rooftops.
Mimi knelt beside them, her faint blue magic soft as she pressed a cool hand to Billy's arm, trying to soothe him without words.
Ren stirred inside Hannah's cloak, indignant and restless.
