The debate erupted anew in the grand chamber, voices clashing like spells in a chaotic duel.
The elder storm witch, her lightning eyes flashing with authority, raised a gnarled hand to quell the initial murmurs, but the floodgates had opened.
"We cannot risk unbinding them," declared a witch from the mid-tier balcony, her body translucent and shimmering like a veil of mist, her hat adorned with droplets of condensed fog that dripped endlessly without wetting the floor below. "These two have already evaded our countless layers of wards once. Who knows what dangers they might unleash if freed? Their actual identity and intention could be a harbinger of something far worse than mere theft."
From an adjacent balcony, a witch with feathers sprouting from her skin like a living avian cloak countered sharply, her hat feathered to match, quills rustling as she gestured.
