For several long heartbeats, Seraphielle said nothing.
Only the crackling of the torch and the rhythmic sound of dripping water filled the silence between them. The tunnel seemed to stretch endlessly ahead, its walls slick with moisture, its ancient stones carrying the weight of secrets buried long before either of them had been born.
Aurelia watched the woman carefully. She had struck a nerve, that much was obvious.
Seraphielle had worn the same composed smile since revealing herself, speaking with the confidence of someone who believed herself untouchable. Yet the mention of Valerian had erased it as though it had never existed.
"It seems you delight in provoking people, don't you?" Seraphielle asked at last, her voice deceptively mild.
Aurelia met her gaze without flinching. "I don't. I merely stated the truth."
