"More like what you were expecting?" Astraeya teased from behind me. My mouth was dry now, so I swallowed again as we reached the end of the stairs. "Good, we aim to please. But wait, there's more!" She stepped to my left, and I twisted to see a dark doorway behind the stairs. There was no light on inside, but I moved slowly closer, waiting for my eyes to adjust until finally I saw a glint of metal ahead of me, hanging from the ceiling. Astraeya waited by the bench as I stepped inside the dark room, my arm outstretched. Metal clinked as I found the chains, my breath rushing in and out of my
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