---
The corridor filled with the sounds of bodies hitting stone. Reyan tried to back away from the treasury door. He had been standing near Dickon, protected by the invaders, but now that protection was collapsing. His eyes darted wildly, looking for an escape route that did not exist.
That was when Auri moved. She came from the upper arch behind him very silently. Her cloak slid back enough to reveal the edges of her wings, still folded but unmistakable.
Reyan turned and saw her. His face went white. "What the…"
Auri's hand closed on his throat before his voice finished forming. She lifted him slightly, just enough that his shoes scraped the stone.
Reyan's eyes bulged.
Auri's voice was calm.
"You opened the vault," she said. "With your own key."
Reyan's hands clawed at her wrist.
Auri did not care.
"You betrayed Dawn House," she continued. "And you brought enemies into the building you were paid to protect."
