Cleenah was stunned.
Jax was laughing. Not a chuckle. Not a nervous deflection. Full, unhinged, maniacal laughter that bounced off the dungeon walls and filled every corner of the cursed space.
As if he had heard the funniest joke in the history of existence. As if the woman threatening eternal imprisonment was nothing but a street performer who had fumbled her act.
Cleenah's smile twitched. "Looks like you don't understand the seriousness of the situation here."
She held up the dark crystal. Letting the cursed light catch every eye in the room.
"You see this stone? This is the only way out of here. The dark mage professor distributed one to each of us before teleporting everyone inside. The plan was simple. Kill the one you're so fixated on saving, then use the stones to escape."
She gestured toward the butchered remains of the dark mage woman. "However, things didn't quite go as planned."
Ava stepped forward. "Commander, we've collected all the stones from the dead."
