---
Auri's voice was quiet, but it cut through the street noise like a thin blade. "Master," she said, "Reyan's eyes are dishonest."
They were already outside the office, back in the crowded shop district. Chaos stone carts rolled past with clattering wheels. Two beastkin argued over the price of a polished spearhead. Somewhere nearby, a child was crying because someone had bought the last honey-cake.
Sekhmet did not look at Auri. He kept his pace even, hands clasped behind his back like a calm young lord on a casual stroll, not a man who had crawled out of purgatory with divine blood in his veins. But his lips curved faintly.
"I saw," he replied.
Auri's gaze sharpened under her hood. Her posture did not change, yet the air around her tightened as if her wings wanted to open. "Do you want me to investigate him," she asked.
Sekhmet paused for a moment. Not long enough to look uncertain — only long enough to let the city's sound wash over him.
Shout… haggle… clink… clink…
