---
Sekhmet moved like a man who had learned how to keep his heart steady in places where panic killed faster than enemies.
They reached a narrow observation slit—an old ventilation gap overlooking the corridor below. From here, Sekhmet could see them.
Dickon.
Reyan.
Fifty-plus bodies.
The distribution was exactly what Auri had reported.
Two rank three.
Seven rank two.
The rest rank one and below.
His eyes narrowed. "Too many to kill cleanly without noise. Too many to let them leave with nothing."
He did not want a massacre inside the city.
Not tonight. Not right before the auction.
But he also would not allow them to walk out with his dignity in their hands. He will capture them. If they don't compromise they will be his food.
He spoke in a voice barely above breath.
"Wait."
The twins did not argue.
They understood the tone.
Below, the treasury door began to open. Reyan and Dickon and fifty men hear the sound, Creak…
