Faye's POV
The words died in my throat before they could form. My voice cracked into barely audible fragments as I surveyed the clearing, struggling to comprehend the nightmare unfolding before me.
Scarlet stains painted the stone ground in irregular patterns. The blood had congealed into dark pools that stretched toward the cave's shadowy corners. Its metallic scent hung heavy in the stagnant air, making each breath feel like swallowing copper. Yet the gore wasn't what sent ice racing through my veins.
It was the rows of metal prisons.
Countless cages stretched before me.
They formed neat columns against the cavern walls, some stacked three levels high like a grotesque warehouse. Crude iron bars welded together with amateur skill, rust eating away at every joint and hinge. Within each enclosure sat a child.
