---
Above him, the city continued breathing, unaware.
As Sekhmet climbed back toward the underground market corridors, his bats returned to the void land with silent flutters. He sent them ahead mentally with a simple command.
"Find the scavenger ghoul."
The bats obeyed, slipping into the void land like shadows diving into a lake.
Only Sekhmet and Bat Bat remained outside.
Bat Bat's head drooped as they walked. Her earlier bravado faded like a candle burning out.
When they reached the surface and returned to the city streets, the night air hit them with cool freshness. It smelled of stone, smoke, and distant cooking. It smelled like civilization pretending it was clean.
Sekhmet moved through the streets quietly. He avoided crowds. He avoided attention.
The humiliations of merchant wars could wait until daylight.
Right now he was only a man returning home with blood on his soul. By the time he reached Dawn House, the mansion gates opened with a familiar creak.
