"Hyran," Serena said quietly, "I can go hunt this down myself, but if you happen to know the answer, you would save me about five minutes."
He glanced at her sideways. "Ask."
"Magic applied to floor surfaces that can withstand time unless activated by a specific mechanism," she said. "Most commonly found in quicksand traps."
"Dormant Plating," Hyran replied immediately.
"Yes. That is it," she said. "Has it ever been applied in other settings. If someone needed to hide something, for example."
"Not documented," Hyran said, lips curling faintly. "But entirely logical. So yes. What are you trying to uncover?"
"There is something beneath this spot," she said, gesturing to the floor. "Something this acts as a key for." She lifted the talisman slightly. "Any ideas on how I would reveal it?"
Hyran regarded the floor, then the talisman, then her. His eyes sharpened.
