The guard looked at the robed man.
The robed man flicked his fingers.
The red barrier returned, snapping around Varka's shoulders and Tess's body together.
The sudden force drove Tess against Varka's chest.
Varka's arm came around Tess's waist to keep both of them upright.
Tess felt the hard plates of her armor through the thin fabric. Felt the steady beat beneath them.
"You can let go now," Tess said.
"If I let go, the barrier crushes your lungs."
"Then I guess we're stuck."
"For the moment."
"You sound thrilled."
"I'm considering throwing you at the mage."
"That would be rude."
"You bit a guard."
"He deserved it."
"You don't know what he deserved."
"He was holding me down for execution. I feel pretty good about that one."
Varka looked down at her.
The distance between their faces had shrunk. Tess could see the fine silver line of the scar above her eyebrow. She could also see the moment Varka realized Tess was counting the spell lines in the barrier.
"What are you doing?" Varka asked.
"Trying to get comfortable."
"You're tracing the ward pattern with your eyes."
"Maybe I like lines."
"You can't break that ward."
"I broke the first one."
"You triggered an unstable skill."
"Same result."
"Not the same thing."
"You keep saying that. You should try saying something useful."
Varka's hand tightened at Tess's waist.
Tess's pulse jumped. She hated that Varka noticed. The woman's eyes flicked down for the briefest moment.
"Your pulse is racing," Varka said.
"Your hand is on me."
"You are afraid."
"I'm furious."
"That isn't a denial."
"Neither is your hand moving."
For the first time, Varka's control slipped. Her mouth parted slightly.
Tess used the moment.
She drove her knee forward.
Varka twisted just enough to take the hit against her thigh armor. The impact jolted Tess's leg, but it also shifted the barrier.
One red line crossed Varka's shoulder.
Tess slapped her palm against it.
"Bad Input," she said.
The System flashed.
[INVALID TARGET]
[RECALCULATING]
The barrier flickered.
Varka's eyes widened. "What did you do?"
"I don't know yet."
"Stop."
"No."
"Tess."
The sound of her name hit harder than it should have.
Varka had not asked for it. She had pulled it from the System window, or from one of the officials, or maybe from the seal itself. Either way, hearing it in that low voice made Tess's fingers pause.
Varka felt the pause.
"Good," she murmured. "You can follow an order."
"Don't get excited."
"I wasn't."
"Liar."
The barrier cracked.
A shockwave threw both women apart. Varka hit the floor on one knee. Tess slammed shoulder-first into the pillar, but the metal cuff around her left wrist snapped open.
The chamber erupted.
The ritual circle flared white. Red symbols spun across the floor. The fallen purge blade lifted by itself and turned toward Tess.
The robed man shouted something Tess did not understand.
The blade flew.
Tess shoved away from the pillar.
It passed her cheek close enough to slice another line through her skin. Blue fire burned the tips of her hair. She ducked behind a stone lectern as the weapon buried itself in the wall.
"She is destabilizing the circle!" one official yelled.
"Finish the deletion!"
"The seal is feeding back!"
"Call Varka!"
"She's right there!"
Varka rose through the flashing light. Her sword came free with a hard metallic hiss.
The blade was not silver. It was dark, almost black, and pale blue marks ran down its length like frozen lightning.
Tess peeked over the lectern. "You have a sword."
"Sharp observation."
"Could you use it to cut the murder blade?"
"That is not how it works."
"Can you use it to cut the robe guy?"
"Tempting."
The robed man thrust both hands toward Tess.
The ritual floor broke open beneath the lectern.
Tess jumped aside as a spear of red light punched through the stone. It clipped her boot and sent her tumbling across the floor.
"You said you were containing the ritual!" Varka shouted.
"The vessel is attacking the seal!"
"You are attacking the vessel!"
"She is property of the crown!"
Varka moved.
She crossed the space between them before Tess could get up. Her sword struck the red spell in midair. Blue sparks exploded across the chamber.
The spell split and tore through two empty chairs instead.
Varka grabbed Tess by the back of her collar and hauled her up.
"Run," she said.
"Where?"
"Away from the circle."
"That's your brilliant plan?"
"Do you have a better one?"
"I was thinking of asking the murder committee to reconsider."
"Move."
Varka shoved her toward a side door.
Tess ran three steps, then stopped. A wall of red light blocked the exit.
"Locked," she said.
"The chamber is sealed."
"You knew that?"
"I knew it was possible."
"You brought me into a sealed execution room?"
"I didn't bring you here."
"You could have stopped them."
"I'm stopping them now."
Varka stepped in front of Tess as another spell tore across the room. The attack hit her raised sword and burst into a storm of sparks. One struck Tess's hand.
The seal on her wrist burned.
She cried out and grabbed it.
The mark was a black circle wrapped around a thin red line. It had not been there when she was pulled into the chamber. Now it pulsed under her skin.
A new System window appeared.
[ROYAL SUMMONING SEAL DETECTED]
[VESSEL STATUS: PENDING]
[CONTRACT BINDING: INCOMPLETE]
[WARNING: HOST BODY REJECTION]
Tess stared at the final line.
"What is vessel status?"
Varka's attention snapped to her wrist. "Where did you see that?"
"You can see it?"
"Answer me."
"You answer me first."
Varka seized Tess's wrist.
Her glove was warm against Tess's skin. Not gentle. Not cruel either. Just firm, like she had already decided Tess belonged exactly where she was holding her.
Tess tried to pull away.
Varka dragged her closer. "Where did you see it?"
"In the window."
"What window?"
"The one floating in front of my face."
"Read it."
"You don't get to order me around."
Varka pressed Tess's wrist against the pillar.
The woman's body blocked the light from the ritual circle. Her face was close again, eyes fixed on Tess's mouth for a fraction of a second before returning to her gaze.
"I do when I am the only person between you and that blade."
"You keep bringing up the blade like you aren't also holding me against a wall."
"Would you prefer the blade?"
"I prefer options."
"You have one."
"Which is?"
"Stay alive long enough to become useful."
Tess laughed once. It came out breathless. "There it is. You don't want to save me. You want to use me."