"Maybe we took a wrong turn?" Cora whispered, her voice trembling as she raised her lantern higher.
The wavering light spilled across the stone walls, revealing damp streaks and faint scratches that looked far too deliberate to be natural. The air felt colder here, thick with an earthy staleness that clung to their throats.
Leonardo met her gaze.
The flickering glow caught the uncertainty in his eyes, confusion tangled with dread, but neither of them moved closer. The dark passageway beyond the doorway stretched endlessly, like a mouth waiting to swallow them whole.
"An inn can't have only one exit," Leonardo said quietly, though his tone carried conviction. "Let's… look around first. We'll be fine."
"You sound so sure of yourself," uttered a voice behind them.
