Keiser tugged his cloak loose, letting it fall down across his shoulders as he slipped soundlessly from the shaft he had pried open. His boots touched the floor with only the faintest tap, muted against the ragged stone and packed dirt beneath. He froze, listening, testing whether the sound had betrayed him, but the silence held.
The room stretched wide before him, swallowed in darkness except for the glow of oil lamps nailed to the corners. Their light was thin, heavy with smoke, throwing more shadow than clarity.
Rows upon rows of crates and iron-barred cages loomed like a forest of broken teeth, their shapes jagged and uneven, crowding the floor until it felt like the walls themselves were closing in.
He drew a breath through his nose.
