Chapter 12 · The Red Cage

The red glass wasn't glass. It moved. Pulsed. Felix pressed both palms against it from the inside and his hands left wet prints that faded into the surface like it was drinking him.

Evira ran. Marcus caught her shoulder.

"Wait." His voice was low. "Look at the floor."

She looked. Circles. Dozens of them, scratched into the stone in white chalk, spiraling out from the cage in perfect rings. Blood pooled in the grooves. Fresh blood. Still wet.

"Someone's been feeding it," Marcus said.

Felix's mouth moved behind the red membrane. No sound came through. His eyes locked on Evira and he shook his head. Don't. Don't come closer.

She stepped forward anyway.

The chalk lines flared. Not white anymore. Gold. The whole basement lit up like someone had cracked the floor open and shoved sunlight through.

Evira staggered back. The light didn't warm anything. It just made the shadows sharper.

"Impressive." The voice came from behind the cage. A woman stepped into view, her boots crunching over broken chalk. Vivian Ash. Evira had seen her once in the guild hall, up on the second-floor balcony where the higher-ups took their coffee. She'd looked bored then.