Pearl POV
They didn’t take me to the throne room.
The moment Demyan dismounted, the elders closed ranks around him, bowing deeply as though their very bones bent willingly to his command. I was wrenched from his arms by a pair of armored guards who carried me through a side passage before I could even process what was happening. My wrists throbbed where the ropes dug into my skin, my body trembling from the cold weight of despair.
The corridors smelled of incense and steel, torches sputtering against walls carved with runes of power. My boots dragged across the stone floor as the guards half-pulled, half-carried me into a chamber overlooking the great hall.
And then they left me there.
The door slammed shut, lock clicking into place, leaving me in silence broken only by the faint hum
