The mayor's car was sleek and modern, a stark contrast to Windmere's otherwise modest appearance. Beside me, Cecilia had slipped back into princess mode, her posture perfect, face a mask of polite interest. Only the slight pressure of her thigh against mine betrayed her tension.
'This feels like a trap,' Luna whispered in my mind, her qilin presence stirring restlessly.
'Everything in this town feels like a trap,' responded another voice, deeper and colder than Luna's melodic tones. Erebus, my lich, rarely spoke unless it involved death—his domain of expertise.
'You sense something?' I asked him silently.
'Death lingers in this town,' Erebus replied, his ancient voice sending a chill down my spine despite our years together. 'Not just recent. Years of it, layer upon layer. Like sediment on a riverbed.'
Great. Exactly what I needed to hear before dinner.
