For hours they stood there, hearing no sound, and seeing nothing but the smooth, high walls on either side of the passage and the calm blue sky so high above them. then the maidens sat down upon the ground and covered their faces and sobbed, and said: "oh, that he would come and put an end to our misery and our lives." –“the cruel tribute,” james baldwin how does the author create suspense in the passage?

By referencing the time and even though it most likely is a hyperbole it's the length of time and the silence they stood in that builds a suspenseful tone along with the fact the walls around them are tall and smooth like that of the rooms one normally imagines in a horror or thriller movie or story. They seem isolated and disconnected in a silence that nothing wants to penetrate but their wails and sobs. sounds of pain and death.