The door of the first one was closed. She grabbed the iron handle and pressed against the door. It was locked.
Rigelt ran past her. “The others are empty,” he said.
“They are in here,” Robin said, throwing her shoulder against the door, though she knew it would do nothing. She looked around the room once more. The freestanding shelves that led deeper into the shadows were empty, save from some broken glass bottles and open crates.
To her left, Aden was crouched amongst the broken barrels along the far wall.
Rigelt reached into his pocket, pulling out a rounded piece of glowing glass. “I brought this in case we needed it,” he said. “I’ll take a look deeper in.” He moved toward the thick pillars that lined the undercroft, holding the glass in front of him.
“Let me try this,” Aden called, striding back toward them. He held out a large mallet, the kind that was used for hammering barrel lids into place.
Robin stepped away from the locked door to give him room.
Aden swung the hammer against the door handle.
A terrified shriek sounded from inside the room. Robin felt her heart stutter, both from the surprise of the sound and the terror she heard within it. She ran forward, lifting her palm against the door. “We are trying to free you!” she called to the prisoner within. At least they knew that their efforts would not be in vain. “Stay back.”
The Majis did not reply, so Robin hoped their silence meant that they had retreated in the small space. She stepped away from the door.
Aden lifted the mallet again and held it over his shoulder. He stepped back, lining up his shot. He sank into his knees and then propelled himself forward with a jump, swinging the mallet around his body.
The iron head of the mallet met the door with a loud crash, splintering the wood and shaking the door on its hinges.
The Majis locked inside did not make another sound.
Robin covered her ears as Aden stepped back to line up another shot.
This one made contact just above the door handle, and the entire door swung open under its weight.
Aden tumbled forward with the unexpected momentum.
Robin rushed toward the open door, waiting for Aden to catch himself and move out of the way.
A deep, low snarl filled the air. Aden jumped backward, hurling himself away from the door.
Intent on her mission, Robin rushed forward, not comprehending that the continued growl was coming from the room she was entering.
As she crossed the threshold, her eyes finally landed on the prisoner.
It was no Majis. She was face-to-face with a massive wolf.
In the same moment, the wolf’s growl turned into a full roar, and its massive open jaws moved toward her face.
For the entirety of a single moment, Robin realized she was about to die.
Then, something slammed into her side, and she tumbled to the floor just outside the room. Aden landed mostly on top of her, catching his fall with his free hand.
He rolled to the side, and both of them were back on their feet as the wolf peered around the corner of the door.
Robin held one hand in front of her, slowly inching backward as she reached for her sword with the other hand.
The wolf’s head rose along the doorframe, almost to the height of Aden’s head. It prowled forward, revealing more of its body.
This was no wolf.
It was human in shape, in the way it stood on two hind legs.
Robin held her short sword ready, not wanting to attack but having nowhere to run. She looked up at the predatory creature, trying to place the combination of bearlike fur, wolflike snout, and pantherlike eyes.
