The walk back to the Royal Wing was a blur of stone corridors and silent endurance.
Elian had miscalculated. He thought the [Potion of Stone Skin] would last until he was safely in his room.
He was wrong.
[System Notification: Stone Skin Effect Expired.]
The numbness faded halfway across the courtyard. One moment, his nerves were deadened; the next, the chemical blockade vanished, and reality crashed back in with the force of a hammer. The red marks on his wrists where the irons had dug in flared with hot, stinging pain. His back screamed from the wooden chair. His head throbbed from the adrenaline crash.
He had managed to keep walking through sheer stubbornness, hiding the limp, biting the inside of his cheek to keep from hissing.
But then they reached the Grand Staircase.
The first step was fine. The second step sent a jolt of agony up his spine that buckled his knees.
Elian stumbled, a sharp gasp escaping his teeth. He grabbed the banister to keep from falling.
