Bram’s cellar felt like a tomb. The team was back, minus the Relic, plus a crushing sense of failure and dread. Pell was weeping silently, overwhelmed by the "screaming silence" of the guard’s unwoven death. Liana methodically cleaned her tools, her face blank. Hargin was dismantling his remaining gear, his movements sharp with frustration.
Lyra sat beside Silas. "What now? The Guild will be at your door by dawn. Kaela will have filed her report. 'Branch C Agent incited otherworldly entity, caused civilian death, withheld critical artifact.' They'll strip your membership. Maybe worse."
Silas knew she was right. The Guild’s justice for those deemed dangerous or disloyal was swift and severe. The sulphur pits of the Grey Barrens Bram had once mentioned seemed a very real possibility.
"We
