Chloe’s p.o.v.
The chamber reeked of damp stone, something ancient and rotten buried beneath centuries of silence. As my arms were bound in enchanted chains, the metal was cold and biting into my skin, draining my strength with every passing second. My breathing was ragged, and my muscles ached from struggling, but it was useless—their magic was stronger, heavier, suffocating me with a weight I couldn’t lift.
The elders stood in a circle around me, their robes flowing like dark shadows in the dim candlelight. Their expressions were unreadable, eyes sharp with judgment. And at the same time. I could hear the murmurs above us, seeping down through the stone from the crowd gathered in the castle halls as they were watching, judging, and waiting for what would happen next.
Meanwhile, I clen
