The air inside the grand circular hall was suffocating, so heavy with ancient, compressed magic and the damp stench of rotting moss that breathing felt like swallowing shards of glass.
Evangeline kept her posture absolute and rigid. Her crimson eyes remained locked onto Carlos as he sat comfortably by the towering stone fireplace, his aged fingers resting over the silver pommel of his cane. Without breaking eye contact with the old tyrant, she leaned her head slightly toward Jericho, her voice dropping into a razor-thin, sarcastic whisper.
"Honestly, Auntie... how on earth did you survive living with this lunatic?" Evangeline murmured dryly, the embers of her magic flickering beneath her gloves. "He literally radiates 'come here so I can execute you' energy."
Jericho offered her a strained, thoroughly annoyed smile. Her eyes twitched slightly as she kept her hands tightly folded over the dark silk of her gown.
