The silence in the chamber was absolute. Even the crystals that lined the walls had stopped pulsing, their sickly green light frozen as if time itself had paused to witness what would happen next. Erebus stood at the center, his form shifting between shadow and light, his molten gold eyes fixed on me with an intensity that made my heart falter. The shadows around him seemed to breathe, expanding and contracting like the lungs of some enormous beast.
Ysolde had stepped back, her silver hair still glowing faintly, her amethyst eyes wide with something that looked like fear. Runa's sword was still raised, but her arm had lowered, uncertainty flickering across her pale face. The volunteers stood frozen behind us, their torches casting frozen shadows on the walls, their faces masks of confusion and dread.
