Chapter 80

• I came to with a sharp jolt of pain.
• Every nerve in my body screamed in protest, each breath a shallow rasp against the cold stone floor beneath me. The tattered remains of my nightgown clung to me like a mockery of warmth, only emphasizing the chill seeping into my bones. My wrists ached under the brutal weight of iron shackles, their chains anchored to a massive slab of stone at the foot of some grotesque sculpture. With effort, I dragged myself into a sitting position, eyes straining to adjust to the dim, flickering light.
• The space I was trapped in resembled ancient ruins fragments of broken columns scattered across a vast, circular hall with a domed ceiling that loomed high above me like a tomb.