Before Nathaniel can leave the chamber, a single bell note shudders through the royal chamber, though the old chapel remains silent in the distance. The black-silver seal darkens.
the mercenary captain
That is the next stage. The ritual has passed from opening to claiming. Whatever lies below is reaching for the crown.
The mercenary captain abruptly strains against her manacles. Iron scrapes stone, and violet light flashes beneath her boots as one slow breath rises from under the throne.
the palace guard lieutenant
Hold the doors! No one enters, no matter whose seal they carry. Guards, brace yourselves.
Beyond the barred doors, the two remaining palace guards, one a young adult woman with a sturdy build, brown skin, and a red-plumed steel helm over blue-trimmed armor, the other a young adult man with a lean build, dark skin, and a square steel helm over gray armor plant their spears and shove their shoulders against the wood. Footsteps gather in the corridor, measured and numerous.
the mercenary captain
Davenport, look at the seal. If it darkens completely, the passage opens again. I cannot break these irons, and your lieutenant cannot hold that door forever.
The chamber tightens around Nathaniel, the mercenary captain, and the palace guard lieutenant. The seal’s dim surface drinks the violet glow while something below draws another breath, waiting.
Prevent the passage from opening