Serena's friend cried out as the guards dragged him behind them, his arms bound behind his back and his body jerking against the rope. His voice resounded in the corridor, cruel with terror.
"Serena! I did nothing! Killian is lying about me!" His bellow was raw, full of anguish and desperation, and it pierced the air so sharply that the guards themselves glanced at one another nervously.
Serena's heart tightened. She could not stand idly by and watch him suffer under a lie she knew he was committing. The weight of her silence was heavier than chains. She advanced quickly, her feet firm despite the tremble in her heart, and followed her friend as the guards ushered him before Killian.
Inside the grand hall, the atmosphere was heavy. Torches burnt upon the walls, their streams of flame u
