Clementine:
I stepped farther into the hall and looked around slowly. This place felt unreal.
Now that I could see the full room, I understood how large it was.
This was not a simple viewing area. It looked similar to an opera hall.
The screens, the chairs, the lights, the frames. Everything had been arranged with care.
It seemed as if someone expected an audience to sit here and watch us.
I stood near the stage where the tunnel had brought me.
From there, the hall stretched downward with long rows of seats arranged in a wide shape.
"Let’s see what else we can get from here," Mint whispered, and I nodded.
I stepped off the stage and moved toward the stairs.
They curved down in clean lines, similar to the ones I had seen in theaters.
Each row had a metal plate attached in front of it. I leaned closer to read the first one, and my stomach tightened.
It was a pack name.
Crimson Claws Pack.
My pack from the South.
I swallowed hard and walked to the next row. Another pack name.
Then another. Row after row carried the names of packs on the same polished panels.
My throat felt tight, and I cleared it. Tears formed in the corners of my eyes.
It seemed like it was not only the ringleaders who came here.
The packs, the royals, and possibly the parents too. They could sit here and watch.
I counted the seats. It did not look like the full pack could fit. Maybe it was only the ones involved in the system.
The Alpha and his family. And the crusaders’ families, depending on their rank.
One question repeated in my mind.
Did they watch us fight?
Did they sit here while we risked our lives in the North?
Did they cheer?
Did they complain?
Did they judge every move we made?
Did their hearts not tighten when their children died in the North?
I could not make sense of the feeling inside my chest. I walked all the way to the back of the hall.
On the other side stood a large door. It looked like it led to another important place.
Maybe it was part of a pack. Or maybe it was another hidden area inside the mountain. I had no idea.
My steps grew quicker as I moved back to the main stage.
My eyes stung, and I blinked to stop myself from crying. The stage held the big frames.
The pictures of every crusader. The lights above them were off now.
Almost all of them. Even the ones that had been on earlier were now dark.
Maybe the storm had damaged the power.
This was the perfect chance to leave. I needed to go back to the river before the others came searching for me.
Cameras hung along the walls, but they were all off. Not a single sound came from them.
I turned to leave, but something on the stage pulled my attention.
Metal trunks.
Each trunk had the name of a crusader group carved on the front.
My heart pounded hard. Curiosity pushed at me even though I knew I needed to leave.
"Do it," Mint urged, and I nodded again.

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