Instantly, every eye in the room pivoted. Hundreds of predatory, calculating gazes locked onto the ten unfortunate souls. Sweat immediately beaded on their brows, hot and heavy, as they felt the collective weight of a room full of apex predators sizing them up.
The ten paragons shot furious, murderous glares up at Tide, silently cursing him for the blatant, unapologetic trap he had just sprung around their necks.
Tide merely offered an innocent, mocking shrug.
"If it were up to me, I would have preferred these trades to be conducted in quiet, discreet privacy," Tide spoke, his tone dripping with exaggerated sincerity. "But frankly, I don't care for the thought of you lot hovering outside my domain boundaries for months, camping on my doorsteps, ever-watchful and paranoid."
He leaned back in his throne, spreading his hands.
