The chamber was drowned in lantern light... dim and flickering, and shadows crawled across the stone walls like restless spirits that wouldn’t sit still. The air was heavy and thick, iron and damp earth clinging to every breath, and every sound seemed louder than it should be, boots scraping stone, the faint crackle of flame, the slow deliberate breath of men who knew judgment was near and couldn’t escape it.
At Maximus’s side stood the Press Lord, his hand trembling and the parchment crumpling at the edges. Names filled the page, each one already struck through with dark lines, and each name was a life already extinguished or broken. Only one remained unmarked. His voice was reverent, almost fearful, as though speaking it aloud might summon something greater than them both...
“He’s th
