Zayn walked behind Althea, who calmly weaved through the traffic of people in the seemingly endless hallway with the grace of a seasoned half-elf.
Her face was its usual neutral canvas, lips in a straight line, but the twitch in her brow betrayed the storm brewing within.
Behind them, Kara and Elisse followed, exchanging uncertain glances while Bran lumbered on with a quiet expression, and Seren kept close to Elisse, eyes low.
Althea stopped in front of a pair of thick mahogany doors.
The golden plate engraved with the words "Guild Master's Office" gleamed under the overhead torchlight.
"Brace yourself," Althea muttered, more to herself than anyone else, before turning the knob and pushing the doors open.
Inside, the scent of incense mixed with the smell of old paper and... snoring?
"What the...?" Kara muttered.
Zayn blinked twice, not believing what he was seeing.
