#Chapter 176: The Crimson Keep

Amelia I woke to the sound of chains. Metal groaned beneath me, each jolt reverberating through the iron bars that caged me in. My cheek was pressed to the floor, cold and rust-flaked, and every motion made my stomach lurch. I blinked hard, trying to bring the shadows into focus. It took several long seconds to realize the cage was moving. The vibration wasn’t from wheels, not exactly; it felt older and heavier, as if the land itself resented being crossed. Outside, a black sky stretched overhead, completely empty of stars. There was no road, only scorched earth beneath the strange hooves. Spectral beasts, things that resembled horses but shimmered like smoke, pulled the cage with jerking, unnatural rhythm. Their hooves never quite touched the ground, and though I could hear them, they floated just above the dirt, each step leaving no mark and no sound that belonged to the world I knew. The air tasted flat and metallic, clinging to my tongue until I could barely swallow. Someth