The darkness beyond the iron door was as thick as fog, swallowing every flicker of torch light.
She walked into the door first, Kaelith, followed by the rest of the group. The stone walls looked cold, and etched into them were the marks of ancient civilizations, secrets that were lost in time.
The torch light (torchbearer?) closed or followed closely behind with a mix of Theron, Mira and Corven. There was stillness, but a heavy tension loomed in the air.
"Where even are we?" Mira whispered.
"Home," Kaelith grimly says in reply.
It's ravenous, and also stems from a court seat or throne.
The figure in seat, or the one sitting on the throne that's raised had their face blanketed, but there were hints of a russet mask covering their features.
"You honor us with your arrival, Duchess Ravencourt. In an exquisite voice and cold but also commanding intoning."
"Many have tried, all have failed."
Duchess Ravencourt, clutching in white fabric, softly rose to her feet, giving the impression of togues or whatever that universal appears to be stitched together.
A battle of the coven was encircled around the council with fur coats.
They silently watched her emerge from the shadows.
"Behold," one of them uttered.
"The strength you wield is astounding," the masked leader stated. "Though, chaos reigns without submission."
Kaelith stepped forward. His voice was granite. "Submission? I submit to no one and certainly not to those who dwindle in the shadows while trying to poison the crown."
A buzz traveled the Council.
The leader raised a hand.
"Before we conclude your fate, respond to this: Why is it that the Raven Council should spare you?"
Kaelith's gaze was on fire.
"Because I am not the frail woman you take me for. I am the phoenix resurrecting from the embers. And I intend to expose every single secret you conceal."
A grin formed behind the leader's mask.
"Then prove it, Duchess. Show us what you amount to."
A tremor abruptly shook the floor.
The candles shook.
Drastic slams of the door echo fervently.
A trap.
As stone walls start to close in, Kaelith's heart thickens and thumps louder.
Corven scooped his sword off the ground, panic clear on his face and urgency glittered in his eyes. "We need to move!"
He gripped her by the shoulders. "You have to listen to me. Wait! There's a mechanism," he instructed as he directed his finger to an inscription graved on the wall.
Kaelith processed the words with haste. To so all who can open the gate, they shall be born with blood of the true Ravencourt.
The cold breeze of her ring brushed against her fingers.
"I have to use it."
She stepped forward and her palm made contact with the dais.
The room was filled with bright light that illuminated all the runes.
The heavy machinery began to stutter to a standstill.
The walls came close to sealing – only a few remaining inches open..
The elders exclaimed.
Kaelith's voice was resounded, "Your reign ends tonight."
Then a form jumped into the limelight, interrupting everything as he came out of
the darkness.
A sword shone with brilliance.
Everything began to shift—