Luna's eyes blazed through the cracking mask of the Duchess, silver fire burning in the hollow sockets where porcelain had pretended to contain them. The light they cast made shadows dance across the vaulted ceiling, twisting and writhing like living things.
"Interesting," she repeated, her voice layering over itself. The Duchess's controlled tone beneath Luna's ancient power, creating a strange harmony that resonated in my chest cavity. "But interesting is not the same as worthy. Not the same as strong. Not the same as capable of surviving what comes next."
I tried to step back but my legs wouldn't obey. The goddess's presence was crushing, overwhelming. Like standing at the bottom of the ocean with all that weight pressing down, squeezing the air from my lungs and making my ribs creak with the strain. My damaged hand throbbed in time with my racing heart, silver and red blood still dripping steadily onto the marble with soft, rhythmic taps.
