The sound of a thousand books snapping shut echoed in the chamber, and then there was only silence. The three Adjudicators were gone, leaving the team alone in the vast, empty courtroom.
FaeLina hovered, her wings limp, her face have a mask of pure horror. They had survived and they hadn't been banished. But they had been assigned homework: a seven-hundred-part report on the emotional, procedural, and philosophical purpose of their dungeon, due in one business cycle.
The heavy silence was broken by Pip, who let out a long, shaky breath. His shoulders slumped with relief. "We did it," he whispered, a nervous grin spreading across his face. "We're not banished. We won!"
