Candles guttered in their iron holders, casting long shadows across Sylas's private chamber.
The air hung heavy with silence and the faint scent of smoke and oil. Soren stood perfectly still before the ornate desk, his body relaxed despite the tension radiating from the man seated before him.
Sylas's green eyes caught the candlelight as he studied Soren, his perfect face revealing nothing of his thoughts.
He tapped a slender finger against the polished surface of his desk, the only sound in the otherwise silent chamber.
"You've trained long enough without consequence," Sylas said finally, his cultured voice cutting through the stillness. "Time to prove what you've learned."
He slid a folded parchment across the desk's surface. Soren picked it up, the paper rough against his calloused fingers.
The seal had already been broken, revealing a hastily scrawled description and crude map.
