Chapter 53 Esmeralda's Pov

• My head throbbed like there was a relentless drumbeat being played. I blinked against the darkness, struggling to make sense of my surroundings.
• There was a cold stone pressed against my cheek, the texture rough and unyielding. The faint scent of damp earth filled the air, mingling with something sharper, metallic, blood. My blood?
• I pushed myself up on shaky arms, my vision swimming as I took in the dimly lit space around me. The walls were made of stone, cracked and ancient, their jagged edges illuminated by the faint glow of a single, flickering bulb hanging from the ceiling.