Wonderful. The terrifying war goddess found her entertaining. That couldn't possibly end badly.
"Access to my defensive infrastructure." Her smile turned sharp. "How convenient for the Reaper to map my vulnerabilities."
There it was. The real concern. Not ward failures. Trust. Or the complete absence of it.
Brynn watched the two Death Lords face each other, both radiating power that pressed against her. This wasn't just about wards. This was old grudges and ancient politics stretching back long before she was born.
And somewhere in those centuries, Seraphina had learned to call him by his real name.
None of that was Brynn's business. None of it should matter to her at all.
"Your vulnerabilities are already exposed if the wards are failing." Dante's voice carried steel. "We're offering to help you understand why."
"Help." Seraphina laughed. Sharp, humorless. "From the Death Lord who's spent the last hundred years in isolation?" She stepped closer to him, close enough that Brynn could see the way his jaw tightened, the way the muscle flexed beneath pale skin. "Forgive me if I'm suspicious of your sudden interest in my domain's security."
Two Death Lords circling, deciding whether to fight or concede. Brynn's every instinct told her to put distance between herself and whatever was about to happen. But moving would draw attention back to her. And Seraphina's attention was the last thing she wanted.
"If the ward network is degrading, it affects all of us." His shadows had gone still now. "Whatever's causing this won't stop at court boundaries."
Seraphina's expression shifted. Skepticism giving way to calculation. "You're genuinely concerned."
"Yes."
Silence stretched between them. Brynn barely dared to breathe.
Finally, Seraphina stepped back. "Your pet can examine my wards." Her gaze cut to Brynn. "But if she breaks anything, I'm keeping her."
"No."
The shadows at Brynn's feet surged outward, spreading across the stone. They coiled up her calves, wrapped around her waist, pulled her half a step closer to him, before they seemed to catch themselves and went still.
Brynn's heart slammed against her ribs.
He still hadn't looked at her. His eyes stayed fixed on Seraphina, cold and lethal. But his darkness had just claimed her in front of another Death Lord, and from the way Seraphina's smile widened, she'd noticed every bit of it.
"Interesting," Seraphina murmured.
Dante's jaw tightened further. That muscle jumping again.
The shadows retreated slowly, settling back into their usual pool around his feet. But Brynn could still feel the echo of them against her skin.
She risked a glance at his profile. At the tension in his shoulders, the rigid set of his spine. He had to know what he'd just revealed. Had to know Seraphina would file it away and use it later.
He'd done it anyway.
Her chest tightened in a way she couldn't explain.
"Fine." Seraphina's smile was all teeth and promise now. "Let's see what your little thief can do, then."
XXXV.
BRYNN
They were moving through corridors barely wide enough for two people, forced into single file past alcoves where guards could hide. Holes gaped in the ceiling above. Positions for archers.
Every step deeper felt like walking into a throat that could swallow them.
"Efficient," Brynn observed.
