The palace screamed.

Not with sound but with force.

Stone groaned under the weight of colliding powers as Selene’s raised hand ignited the wards embedded in the corridor. Runes flared along the walls and ceiling, ancient symbols burning gold as the space itself tightened, compressing like a fist closing around Liora.

“Did you really think,” Selene said calmly, “that I would leave my inner halls unguarded?”

The air thickened, pressing against Liora’s lungs. Silver ...