Stand Down
A step echoed - boots dragging on stone, slow and sharp. Forward moved the captain, his face tight, teeth pressed like he could crush the thick silence between them.
A single hand lifted, stiff fingers cutting the air. Silence followed.
A hush fell when he spoke, his words sharp as a blade pulled without warning from shadows. Not loud, yet nothing else could compete. Stillness answered each syllable. The room held its breath, caught between silence and sound.
"My lady! Please, step back! We need to activate the defensive formation!"
A sudden cry tore into the silence of the chamber. Right then, soldiers shifted - boots grating on rock, metal rattling, their breathing tight and fast. With shields tilted and lances lifting, tension filled the space, thick as flame before it catches. Each stance, each practiced motion, hung ready, needing only one signal to explode forward.
