At the sight of them, the woman's body jolted as if struck. She stumbled backward until her thin frame collided with the wall, then collapsed to the floor in a heap. Her arms shot up to cover her face, nails clawing at her tangled hair.
"Go away!" she screamed, voice ragged from disuse, breaking into gasps between words. "Tell Hadrian… Tell him the truth will not stay buried! It will claw its way out! Do you hear me? It will burn him! It will burn you all!"
Her cries cracked into sobs, a keening wail that echoed against the stone chamber. She rocked back and forth, shaking, her screams turning shrill, then guttural, like a creature cornered.
