Each of them gives her a nod—Kael with regal coolness, Alaric with suspicion, Dagan with open curiosity.
“She is human, yes? From Earth?” Alaric asks, as if he doesn’t already know.
“She is mine,” I say flatly.
Silence stretches like drawn steel.
Then Dagan nods. “Then she’s ours to protect as well, brother.”
Good.
Because I will burn the Vein to the roots if harm touches her.
I look to her, forcing myself to ease the tightness in my voice.
“Come, Shula,” I murmur.
I lead her through the encampment and toward the ridge where my pavilion stands apart from the others.
There are three more, larger than the rest that surround mine like a semicircle—they belong to the Lords.
But mine is larger. Taller. Reinforced with obsidian ribs and flame-treated canvas, etched in runes that glow faintly when I draw near.
Not a tent so much as a mobile stronghold—befitting my title, my station, my burden.
I barely notice it anymore.
But she does.
Delia steps inside and stops short, breath catching.
The interior is layered in deep reds and charcoals, velvet cushions arranged around a low alchemical hearth that radiates steady, controlled warmth.
Brass lamps hum softly, their light refracted through crystal lenses that soften the shadows.
Thick rugs—woven from fire-silk and ash-thread—cover the stone floor, insulating against both heat and cold.
The air is fragrant with spice and flame, and it is cooler than the outdoors—refreshing.
“This is incredible,” she whispers, reaching out to brush her fingers over a velvet-covered cushion as if afraid it might vanish.
“Is there some sort of air conditioning unit hidden somewhere?”
A sound escapes me before I can stop it. A low huff of amusement.
“Not like you mean, Shula,” I reply. “Most things in Nightfall run on magic and alchemy. Temperature is negotiated.”
Her eyes brighten, curiosity sparking immediately.
“Wow. I’d love to learn more.”
She turns slowly, taking it all in.
“Would you truly?”
She nods. “Like here at the mine—do you have a medical clinic? Doctors?”
“We have both,” I say carefully. “But again, they will be different from what you are used to.”
