For one brief, perfect moment, the look on Rudith's face made everything worth it.
Shock.
Pure, unfiltered shock.
It was exactly what Rohan wanted to see.
Rudith's expression didn't twist into anger right away, nor did it collapse into fear. No, it stayed frozen in that perfect instant of utter disbelief, like her mind had simply refused to accept what here eyes were telling it. That the source of all their tension, all their unease, all the missing Awakened and unexplained deaths in the tunnels, was not some hidden beast or third party.
It was Rohan, and Elane.
Both alive, and doing very well for themselves.
Standing there with the treasure Rudith had tried so desperately to acquire even before the two sides had ever met.
Rohan let the silence linger for a moment longer before he smiled.
"Well," he said, voice calm and steady, letting his amusement show as clear as day. "You all look more nervous than the last time we met."
