The hidden chamber was silent.
For several moments, none of them moved.
Salvador stood beside the shelf, holding the small wooden horse his father had carved for him when he was a child. His fingers moved slowly over the uneven letters beneath it, tracing each one as though touching the words could somehow take him back to a time when everything had been simple.
Before the betrayal.
Before the lies.
Before he had been separated from the people who had loved him most.
Ella watched him quietly.
She could see the emotions moving across his face, and she understood that there were some memories too precious to interrupt.
Felix and Harvey remained near the entrance, allowing him the moment.
Eventually, Salvador placed the wooden horse back on the shelf.
"I remember this place," he whispered.
Ella moved closer. "You remember the chamber?"
He shook his head.
"No. I remember the things inside it."
He looked around slowly.
