Dark Carnival

Previously

…The last thing Silas saw before a heavy sack was thrown over his head, plunging him into suffocating darkness, was Elara’s terrified face, illuminated by the cruel glow of the Ringmaster’s eyes, and the glint of a familiar, polished surface – a silver locket, identical to the one Lily always wore, clutched in Martha Gable’s hand. The betrayal wasn't just about a bargain for loved ones; it was about a deeper, more personal connection to the very darkness they fought. The sanctuary of the mill had become a trap, and the heroes, once united by dread, were now scattered and vulnerable, their hope extinguished in the suffocating darkness of their captor's triumph.