¬ Slin
We stood at the border of the barrier, close enough that I could feel the faint hum of its energy pressing against my skin.
Mother and the other serpents had spent days inscribing sigils along the entire perimeter. The symbols glowed faintly where they lined the base of the barrier. It stopped out in the wide field between the capital and the castle walls.
Keane stood a few paces to my side, his gaze fixed on the shimmering wall of energy. He had been staring at it for some time now, unmoving, and in that same rigid posture that made him look less like my brother and more like a statue carved from stone.
"You realise you do not have to look at me like that."
I startled, my heart jolting against my ribs.
Keane still hadn't turned. His attention remained fixed on the barrier, but I knew he was addressing me.
"I wasn't—"
"You were." His voice was flat. "You have been for some time now."
