Elara's POV

The guards dragged me deep beneath the palace through passages that twisted and descended until I lost all sense of direction. The sounds of battle faded to distant noise above us.

Finally we reached a door carved with symbols that hurt to look at directly. One guard pressed his palm against the surface and it opened with a grinding sound like stone grinding against bone.

They shoved me inside and the door sealed behind me with a finality that made my stomach drop.

The vault was ...