The cold stone beneath Layla’s knees sent a sharp ache through her body, but it was nothing compared to the dread tightening in her chest. The ritual site was silent save for the crackling torches that lined its perimeter, their dim glow unable to dispel the darkness pressing in from all sides. The captives were shackled in the shadows, their ragged breaths the only sound of life among the stillness. Yet, despite it all, Layla’s gaze remained locked on one figure, the frail form of her mother, chained and barely conscious.
“Mother,” Layla whispered, her voice trembling. “Please, open your eyes.”
For agonizing moments, there was nothing. Then, slowly, her mother’s eyelids fluttered, her lips parting as she struggled for breath. Her once-strong frame had withered under her captivity, her s
