"Well, that all went to hell," Roof muttered, drinking deeply from a water pouch filled with spring water from the forest.
The four of them were gathered around the fire back in Hell, the gates sealed once again. Outside, Lady Nessa's army remained camped, their torches visible from the crevices in the stone doors. The events of the day hung heavily in the air, unspoken but palpable.
Captain Trey had been dragged off by the supervisors without explanation, their arrival and departure swift and deliberate, like specters slipping in and out of existence.
Aziz stared into the crackling fire, his mind elsewhere. Deca's face refused to leave his thoughts, memories flashing unbidden—cold, hunger, and the man's venomous eyes watching him struggle in the pit.