"Be careful what you touch," Naia said seriously. "The old magic recognizes things about people that they haven't figured out aboutthemselves yet. Sometimes that recognition comes with consequences."
Brynn studied her face, looking for more warnings. Behind Naia, the death-woven tapestry showed the battle scene—warriors falling in almost graceful poses. One of them had turned his head since yesterday. He was looking toward the door now. "What kind of consequences?"
"The kind that changes you. Permanently." Naia moved toward the door, then paused. "But then again, perhaps change is exactly what's needed."
After Naia left, Brynn stood there for a moment, processing.
The Reaper had summoned her to work with old magic after giving her clothes suited for dangerous conditions. Or running. Or fighting her way out.
She retrieved the tools from where she'd hidden them beneath her mattress, slipping them into one of the jacket's inner pockets. The fabric muffled any sound they might make against each other.
She was adjusting the jacket's fit when a different knock sounded at her door. Heavier than Naia's, more authoritative.
"Enter," she called.
The door opened to reveal one of his death knights, the tall figure's armor glowing dully in the twilight. Unlike the servants, this one radiated an aura of contained power that made the air feel thicker.
"Lord Reaper awaits," the knight said, voice carrying the echo of someone who had died in battle and chosen to keep fighting. "I am to escort you to the deep chambers."
Brynn nodded, though her pulse quickened. Whatever was about to happen, there was no turning back now.
The knight stepped aside, waiting for her to precede him into the corridor.
"This way," the knight said, turning toward a section of the palace she'd never been to before.
XIII.
BRYNN
The death knight led her through corridors that shifted as they descended. The ribcage tunnels of the upper levels gave way to something older, more primitive. Here, the walls weren't constructed from bone. They were bone. Massive segments fused directly into the bedrock, as if the palace had been built inside the skeleton of a creature too large to comprehend.
The air grew thicker as they descended, pressing against her skin. Each breath tasted of old magic and damp stone. The sconces here burned a deeper blue, nearly purple.
"How much farther?" she asked, her voice echoing strangely in the stairwell.
"Not far now," the knight replied without turning. His armor clinked softly with each step.
The stairs beneath her feet became less uniform, carved from stone veined with pale striations. Her new boots found purchase on each step. He'd chosen them, knowing she'd be walking down here.
That's when she noticed the runes.
At first, they were just shallow scratches in the wall, easy to miss in the flickering light. But as they went deeper, the markings became more elaborate. More deliberate. Symbols carved into stone,arranged in patterns that seemed to shift when she wasn't looking directly at them.
She found herself tracing one of the patterns with her eyes, following curves that seemed almost familiar. The markings themselves seemed newer somehow. Or perhaps they refused to fade.
Where had she seen this before?
But the memory, if it was a memory, slipped away before she could grasp it.
The knight paused at a heavy door that made her stomach turn. Ribs curved together to form planks, fused at joints that still showed their original structure. Black iron bands wrapped around it like bindings holding something in.
"Beyond this point, I cannot accompany you. The Reaper awaits within."
He pushed the door open, and it swung silently.
The chamber beyond was carved entirely from solid rock. But the rock was riddled with ancient remains. Massive fossilized formations jutted from the walls and ceiling, creatures that had died here long before the palace was built, their skeletons becoming part of the foundation. The ceiling arched high above, supported by structures that reached down from the darkness.
Runes covered every surface. These weren't the faint scratches she'd seen in the stairwell. These blazed with blue light, pulsing steadily.
