Chapter 15: Shackles and Schemes

The weight of Castillo's words settled over them like a noose tightening around their necks. Elena kept her expression neutral, but her mind raced. He wanted them to break the curse for him—but how much did he truly understand?

Tobias was the first to break the silence. "And if we say yes, what happens when the curse proves to be more than you bargained for?"

Castillo chuckled. "Then it will be your problem, won't it?" He gestured to the guards. "Take them to the holding tent. Make sure they don't try anything… unfortunate."

The soldiers grabbed them roughly, shoving them toward the exit. As they were dragged through the camp, Elena clenched her fists. They had come too far, survived too much, to end up as Castillo's pawns.

The holding tent was a sturdy canvas structure reinforced with wooden poles. Inside, an iron cage took up most of the space, its rusted bars still solid enough to serve their purpose. The guards shoved them inside and locked the door.

"Sleep well," one of them sneered before leaving.

The moment they were alone, Tobias kicked the bars in frustration. "Damn it! We should've made a run for it when we had the chance."

"And gone where?" Elena shot back. "We're deep in his territory with no weapons, no supplies, and no way of knowing how many men he has."

Rafael sighed, leaning against the bars. "She's right. But that doesn't mean we're out of options."

Elena glanced at him. "You have a plan?"

He gave a wry smile. "More of an idea. Castillo needs us alive. That means we have leverage."

Tobias folded his arms. "Leverage won't break us out of here."

"No, but it buys us time," Rafael countered. "If we convince Castillo that the curse is dangerous even for him, he might get desperate enough to make mistakes."

Elena nodded slowly. "And mistakes give us openings."

Tobias exhaled sharply. "Fine. But if we're playing for time, we need to figure out how to actually break the curse. Otherwise, we're just delaying our execution."

Silence fell as the weight of that truth settled between them.

Elena pressed her fingers against her temple, trying to think. They had escaped Aurelian, but the curse was still very much alive. If the ancient priests had failed to break it, what chance did they have?

Her gaze drifted to the tent's opening, where she could see the flickering glow of Castillo's torches outside. Beyond that, the ruins still waited in the shadows of the valley.

And deep within them, the forgotten gold still called.