Round 48

Seraphine’s voice cuts through the dust-choked silence of the collapsing chamber like a whip. “What did you do?” she demands, her sharp eyes fixed on Jeane with a mixture of accusation and barely contained fury. “We were supposed to be careful!” The roar of shifting stone fills the air as another section of ceiling gives way, sending a fresh cascade of debris tumbling down around them. Something heavy—a stone block or perhaps a fallen statue—hits the ground nearby with a resounding thud. Seraphine pays the collapsing structure no mind, her full attention focused on Merrin. She moves closer, her expression concerned as she kneels beside the prone rogue. “Hold still,” she commands, her hands already moving to examine Merrin’s head. “I need to check your injuries.” Merrin winces as Seraphine’s fingers probe gently at her scalp, the cool touch a stark contrast to the heat radiating from the ward seal behind them. Her head throbs with each movement, the world spinning sickeningly around her. “I’m fine,” she mumbles, though...