Heaven did not frown on anyone. It just did not hand luck out evenly.
Irongrit had been thrown into a place that felt made to choke him.
An underground cave he had trudged through for nearly half a day with no exit in sight.
He might have believed he had been dropped into a different contest entirely, if not for God Eldric's announcements reminding him the clock was still the same for everyone.
Forward or back. The walls scraped his shoulders with every step. The ceiling hung low enough to kiss his hair with grit.
That still was not the worst of it. Skeletons kept appearing. Above, below, both sides, as if the stone itself was birthing them.
Irongrit's breath came loud, trapped in the tight tunnel with him.
For a wild moment he felt like God Eldric had plotted against him.
Then he remembered what he was.
A bastard of a City Lord. Not even acknowledged by his father. Not important enough to be singled out for cruelty.
