Rex wiped the grime from his face, pushed himself off the cold damp stone, and walked toward the iron bars.
He ran his hand over the dense, reinforced metal, feeling the faint hum of a suppressive mana barrier running through the frame.
"We're in an underground prison..." Rex muttered under his breath.
He paced back and forth across the small cell, testing the footing, before walking back to the corner and sliding down against the stone wall with a heavy sigh.
He sat there, staring blankly ahead, waiting for his mana to recover or for his body to stop aching.
Or maybe wait for something. But he couldn't ignore the repeated, pathetic hics and trembling sobs echoing from two feets away.
Rex shifted his head.
Edri was curled up against the cavern wall, her knees tucked tightly into her chest, quietly sobbing.
The dark Shydrym mantle was gone, leaving her in just her torn, damp 2md year uniform.
