"Tell us, then. What was it like inside?"
That question pulled even Dominic's gaze toward him. The ever-stoic lord, who'd remained silent since Erin's declaration, was now attentive, his interest veiled but keen.
Damien exhaled lightly, setting his cup aside.
How was Cradle?
Where to even begin?
"It's not what….Well, it is actually what the name appears to be, though for some reason there is a glorification of the whole thing that should not be," he said finally. "It's not some divine test or a place to 'temper the soul,' as the priests like to claim. It's… chaos wrapped in silence."
Vivienne's fingers tightened around her napkin. Erin watched without blinking.
He went on, slowly. "The first day, I guess the day as the time was a bit hard to deduce, the air was thick enough to burn. Every breath felt like it was peeling layers off my lungs. The ground itself hummed, like it was alive—and you could feel eyes everywhere, even when nothing was there."
