The armor hit the floor with a dull thunk. Everyone exhaled at once, like they’d been holding their breath since stepping foot near the tower. The dragon-forged suits were light in battle, enchanted to move with them, but hours of wearing them left bruises in strange places and aches that went bone-deep.
Kaelen had told them to take the rest of the day off. Eric agreed. Nobody argued. After what they’d seen, after what they hadn’t had to do, silence carried them all the way back to the dragons’ den.
The room they’d been given was simple—stone walls, woven rugs, beds lined against the edges. It was quiet. Safe. But the quiet felt heavy now.
Emily tugged her boots off first, dropping them with a sigh. Sarah flopped onto the edge of a bed, her fingers twitching like she was still itching f
