Chapter 100: Shadows Convened and Truths Unveiled
There were places within the empire where even whispers feared to linger.
Places untouched by courtly intrigue—not because they were free from it, but because they existed beneath it. Beneath notice. Beneath light.
Deep within the earth, where stone pressed in close and the air held the cold breath of forgotten things, a cavern lay hidden from the knowledge of most men.
It was not marked upon any map.
Nor spoken of in any court.
And yet it was not empty.
A single candle burned at the centre of the cavern, its flame small and wavering, casting long, shifting shadows that danced across the uneven walls. The light was weak, but sufficient.
Enough to reveal forms—figures wearing masks, cloaks over their heads to hide who they were.
They stood at measured distances from one another, arranged not in any formal circle, but in a loose gathering that suggested both caution and intent.
No names were spoken.
No faces were revealed.
