The silence stretched over the basalt canyon for three seconds before Sera Thorne made her choice.
“You take the ledger,” Sera said, shifting her grip on the Storm-Pike. “Your handwriting looks much more professional on official reports.”
“A practical decision,” Mina Vance replied with a slight nod. “Spreading blood on official paperwork invites audits from the treasury.”
High above the canyon floor, Penal Siege-Commander Gorgon hung pinned against the black cliff.
The golden earth-fire spear still burned through his sternum. Every ragged breath tore fresh agony through his cracked ribs, but his frantic eyes tracked the two women below him.
“Mercy,” Gorgon wheezed, black foam spraying from his split lips. “I am a high officer of the Sanctuary. I have ransom rights.”
Sera floated upward on a gentle thermal updraft, her violet spearhead glowing with starlight.
“The Sovereign does not accept ransoms from people who disturb his reading hours,” Sera replied evenly.
