For a moment, the weight of her fury pressed against me, daring me to flinch.
I didn't.
Why would I? The board was mine. The pieces were already moving exactly where I wanted them.
Emma's glare lingered, promising that this game between us wasn't over. But for now—here, in this hall where strength ruled and Alice's shadow stretched long across the stone floor—she could do nothing.
The air settled just enough for words to slip through again, but the tension was still a blade at my throat. Alice's sword remained half-raised, its faint magical glow painting thin streaks of blue across Emma's cheek.
Emma broke the silence first. Of course she did. She was too proud to cower for long.
"Lady Draken," she said, her fan lowering with deliberate grace, "you've made your point. But drawing a blade on a guest of the Voss? That is… quite the statement."
Alice didn't so much as twitch. "A guest does not seize what is mine."
