Queen Eli's voice was taut with unease. "What is it?"
The medusa's pupils constricted, her forked tongue flickering with fear. "They… they took Master Dan."
A shadow of dread swept across Queen Eli's face, draining the color from her cheeks. For a heartbeat, she looked as if the world beneath her coils had been ripped away.
---
Far away, back in the depths of the dungeon cave, Luke lay slumped against the cold stone. His face was grotesquely swollen, each bruise and gash a cruel testament to the beating he'd endured. It wasn't just his face — his entire body looked like a canvas of pain, mottled with purple and black. His breath came in shallow, trembling gasps, and his eyes flickered like those of a man teetering at death's doorstep.
Violet and Alexis stood frozen, horror etched across their faces. They had seen brutality before… but this? This felt personal.
