••{GARRICK'S POV}••
The doors of the throne room close behind us with a thud that reverberates through my chest. I stumble forward, still reeling from Ezryn's words, from his cruel laughter that still echoes in my ears. Astrid guides me down the icy corridor without a word.
Every step feels like I'm walking further into a pit I can't climb out of.
I feel utterly shattered, drained, and all I can hear is my pulse hammering in my ears.
I don't know how to carry the weight of what just happened.
Finally, we reach the chambers where Alexei, Thorian, and the others are resting. The moment I step in, the warmth hits me like a wave. The cold from the snow is gone, replaced by the crackle of fire in the hearth.
Thorian and Alexei rise immediately when they see me, and I can't bear to see that expectant look on their faces…
So I look away.
"What happened?" Alexei asks. There's an urgency in his tone. A hope that I have some good news.
