That was where Vaelira rested.
As soon as her arm dropped, she turned and hurried away, footsteps quick and uneven as she put as much distance between herself and him as possible.
Kaiden followed the direction she indicated. The oppressive weight around him deepened with each step, the air itself seeming to brace for what would come next as he closed in on the warded space where Vaelira lay.
Tessa stood directly in front of the reinforced room, posture squared and feet planted as if she had decided this spot would be her line in the sand.
The black-haired guild leader usually carried herself with teasing ease and an ever-present grin, the kind of woman who defused tension by laughing first and thinking later. That expression was gone. Her jaw was tight, shoulders set, eyes sharp with expectation rather than surprise, as though she had known from the moment she heard what Vaelira did that Kaiden would eventually come walking down this corridor.
