The shout was loud and well aimed.
There could never have been a proper time for such a thing, even as whispers filled the hall—low at first, uncertain, before steadily growing louder and more insistent. They moved like a living thing, crawling from one end of the temple to the other, feeding on fear and curiosity alike.
What was even more surprising was the fact that the guards—who should have instantly entered to dispatch the intruders—seemed to be missing.
Their absence did not go unnoticed.
The thugs, seeing the chance laid plainly before them, refused to let it slip away. They shouted one after the other, their voices rough and desperate, cutting through the heavy air of the hall.
"Rip off the spy's veil!"
"Wolf's bane! Nothing like pain to reveal the face of a traitor!"
"Burn the traitor!" another shouted with fervor, his voice cracking with excitement.
