The long stone corridors of the Sovereign Keep were eerie and silent, save for the faint echoes of guards clearing the grim remains of battle from the main courtyard. Shadows stretched long and distorted against the torchlit walls as Elara and I glided through the lower catacombs, our boots making no sound against the cold cobblestones.
Every shadow felt alive, every creak of the timber framing above sounded like an approaching sentinel. Elara led the way, her hand resting lightly on the hilt of her sword, her eyes sweeping the dimly lit passageways with practiced precision. We moved with practiced stealth, weaving behind heavy velvet tapestries and slipping through dusty alcoves whenever the heavy, metallic footfalls of patrol units echoed down the halls.
"Just around this turn," Elara whispered under her breath, her voice barely a thread of sound in the dark. "The inner secret library is hidden behind the ancient seal of Duke Edward."
