Chapter 54
Ronan awoke to agony.
His body screamed in protest as he stirred, every muscle stretched taut by thick, iron chains that bound him to a damp stone wall. The scent of blood and mildew clung to the air like a curse. His vision swam, but slowly the room came into focus—dim torchlight flickering across a cold dungeon lined with cages and chains. Dozens of children filled the room, their eyes hollow, some younger, some older, each one marked by fear and suffering.
Then, Ronan saw him.
The man stood at the far end of the room, cloaked in black with a twisted grin stretching across his face. That same grin had haunted Ronan's dreams for years—the monster who had taken everything from him. The man's gaze slithered over the children like a serpent choosing its next meal, then locked onto Ronan.
"Well, well," the man said, voice oily and amused. "The Steele boy finally wakes."
