Chapter 123

• Despite the protective barrier of the nose mask he was wearing, the pungent and disturbing smell of urine managed to permeate his senses. He found himself descending the stairs into the darkest and, quite frankly, the most repugnant dungeon in the palace. This was the place where the kingdom's most hardened criminals were confined. The irony of his situation was not lost on him. Above his head, a bustling party, one that he had meticulously arranged, was in full swing. Yet, he found himself navigating the depths of this detestable place.
• As he made his way past the cells, the inmates hurled a barrage of curses at him. They ranted and raved like wild animals trapped behind their bars. Their screams and the loud banging against the metal confines echoed around him, but he paid them no mind. His focus was solely on the individual he was here to see. The weak, flickering light of the naked bulbs that swung overhead cast an eerie glow, guiding his path through the gloom.
• He came to a halt in front of a cell, his eyes taking in the skeletal figure behind the bars. For a moment, he questioned if this was indeed the person he had come to see. She looked like nothing more than a shell of her former self, a ghostly apparition barely clinging to life.