The night had grown colder, the air thick with the weight of what was about to happen. The female spie led the way, her steps soundless, her presence like a shadow clinging to the walls. Rina followed, her heart hammering in her chest, dread clawing at her insides. Beside them, the Gamma walked in silence, his face pale but hardened, his eyes dark pits of fury and grief twisted into something monstrous.
They entered the Gamma’s wife’s chamber. The room was dim, the only light a flicker of lantern flame casting long, eerie shapes on the walls. There she lay—his wife—still, fragile, barely clinging to what little life remained. The faint sound of her shallow breaths was the only proof she had not yet passed into the spirit realm.
The female spie’s voice cut through the heavy silence like a
