The first thing I registered was the smell.
It wasn't the clean, yeasty scent of rising dough, or the sharp, metallic tang of Rurik's sword, or even the expensive cologne of Cassian.
It smelled like rotten eggs, stagnant water, and ancient, unwashed stone.
Health code violation, my brain supplied unhelpfully. Immediate shut down.
I gagged, coughing as I was dragged roughly across wet, slimy stone. My vision swam. The last thing I remembered was the fireworks, the flash of light, and the floor dropping out from under me.
"Quiet," a wet, gurgling voice hissed.
I looked up. I was being hauled by two massive Toad-kin. Their skin was mottled grey-green, slick with mucus that was currently soaking into my dress. They had bulging, yellow eyes that blinked sideways.
"Where..." I rasped, my throat burning. "Where am I?"
"Under," the Toad on my left grunted.
