A low voice, gravelly and filled with urgency, emanated from the other side of the door. "Damn it, go back. There is magic placed on the room. We cannot enter!" The words hung in the air, echoing in the corridor.
Loud, hurried footsteps echoed away, gradually fading into silence. Time stretched out, every second feeling like an eternity, as the commander stood in front of the door, absorbing the weight of the man's warning. Doubt gnawed at their mind, but the urgency in the stranger's voice couldn't be dismissed.
It took a few agonising moments before any sign of movement returned to the other side of the door. A creak, almost imperceptible, followed by Mary's panicked voice breaking through the stillness. "My lady, are you in there? Are you alright?"The commander's hand clenched on the doorknob, twisting it up and down, but the door remained stubbornly shut. 'My lady, my lady, the door won't open,' Mary's voice trembled, laced with a growing alarm for her mistress.