Chapter 291: Die Trying
The dimly lit lair was filled with the stench of burning incense and damp stone. Faint candlelight flickered against the uneven walls, casting eerie shadows over the hooded figures who knelt in silence.
At the center of the chamber, the man who orchestrated everything—who had rewritten the fates of so many—stood in barely contained fury.
His fingers curled into fists as his piercing gaze settled on the hooded subordinate before him. His voice, sharp as a blade, cut through the heavy air.
"You have not kept her under control enough."
A shudder ran through the kneeling figure, though she dared not look up.
"She dared to rebel."
The master’s anger was barely restrained, his tone teetering on the edge of something darker—something lethal. The echoes of his words rang in the hollow chamber, a reminder of his disappointment.
He stepped forward, the hem of his dark cloak brushing the stone floor.
"I wanted to brand her with the curse when I first brought her in." His voice was quieter now, but no less dangerous. "But you—" he spat the word, filled with disdain "—you decided to show pity. You hesitated. And now, look at what has happened."
The kneeling figure trembled but did not speak.
It was true.
Annora had slipped from their grasp, inch by inch. And now, she had dared to act on her own.