167. Her Room

I stood with Saelia in my arms at the top of the spiral staircase. In front of us was the open door to her room, and beyond the threshold was nothing but impenetrable darkness. Dank, cold air wafted from it, making me feel like I was staring into a long-forgotten tomb. I willed the sun shards in the room to turn on, but I got no response.

Frustration wiped the smile off my face. The idea of there being no sun shards in the warden’s room was absurd. Saelia must’ve been behind their inoperation in a last ditch effort to keep me from seeing her room.

“Saelia, there’s sun shards in your room, right? I’m having trouble turning them on,” I asked, keeping suspicious accusation out of my tone.

“They’re out of flame and light spirit… I never got around to refilling them when they ran dry,” she muttered, clumsily trying to shift out of my arms.

Feeling like an asshole for assuming she was actively keeping them off, my stomach sank at her explanation.

“Why not?” I set her down and offered