Shadows of Deception
Lyra, walking ahead with her alchemical blade in hand, didn’t look back. “Everything about this place is wrong,” she said. Her voice was steady, but her grip on the blade tightened.
Adrian, leading the group, moved with deliberate precision. His crimson eyes scanned every corner, every dark crevice, as though expecting danger to leap out at any moment. The flickering torchlight gave his expression a haunted edge, but he pressed on.
They encountered their first trap moments later—a series of jagged, iron spikes that sprang from the walls with lethal speed. Adrian reacted quickly, deactivating the mechanism with a flick of his dagger and an incantation muttered under his breath.
“This is just the beginning,” Adrian said, his tone clipped.
Eryon glanced at the spikes, their tips gleaming with what looked like fresh blood. “What exactly are we walking into?”
“Something the King doesn’t want anyone to find,” Adrian replied, not looking back.
The group pressed on, their path narrowing into a jagged tunnel that led to a chasm filled with glowing mist. The mist swirled ominously, its tendrils stretching upward as though alive.
“This wasn’t in the schematics,” Adrian muttered, his frustration showing for the first time.
Lyra stepped closer, her silver eyes scanning the mist. “It’s a ward,” she said, her voice low. “Something to keep everyone out.”
“Or keep something in,” Eryon added grimly.
Adrian didn’t respond immediately. He pulled a small vial of vampire blood from his belt and poured it into a rune-etched basin beside the chasm. The runes flared, and the mist roiled violently before parting to reveal a narrow, crumbling bridge suspended over the abyss.
“Move quickly,” Adrian commanded, stepping onto the bridge without hesitation.
Lyra followed, her wolf stirring uneasily as the mist reached for them like ghostly fingers. Halfway across, her foot slipped on a loose stone, and she stumbled. Adrian caught her by the arm, his grip firm but not harsh.
“Careful,” he said, his voice tense but soft.
Lyra’s breath hitched as her eyes met his. “I’m fine,” she said quickly, pulling away and continuing across the bridge.
From the mist below, a faint voice echoed, chilling and distant. “Keep going, my dear children. You’re almost there.”
Eryon froze mid-step, his wolf snarling at the sound. “Did you hear that?” he whispered, his voice tight.
Adrian narrowed his eyes but didn’t stop. “Residual ward,” he said dismissively. “An echo of someone who’s been here before.”
Lyra wasn’t so sure, but she said nothing as they reached the other side and faced the massive iron door that led to the final chamber.
