The room gradually fell silent. Outside, the wind howled louder than before as the first snowstorm of the winter finally swept across Cinder Dusk, rattling the basement's narrow ventilation shaft and making the hanging light bulb sway ever so slightly.
No one spoke for several long seconds, all of them still trying to process Delilah's theory.
Freya was the first to break the silence. She slowly stepped forward, staring at her mother with disbelief written all over her face as confusion, anger and fear mixed together until even she no longer knew which emotion was stronger.
"What do you mean, Mom?" Her voice came out almost as a whisper before it gradually rose. "Dad died years ago... are you saying he created something like that before he died?"
Gideon quietly looked at the two of them without interrupting.
