The chest sat half buried where the enemy boats had launched, iron banded and heavy, its surface etched with symbols Ariana didn't recognize but felt somehow in her chest, a faint pulse of unease she couldn't explain.
"It's warded," Lucien said, crouching beside it. "I can feel it from here."
"Warded how," Ariana asked.
"Against tampering, most likely. Break the wrong seal and it could trigger something worse than a locked chest should be capable of." His fingers hovered over the etched surface without touching it. "Grier, get me something to pry the lock without breaking the ward itself."
Grier produced a thin blade from his belt, passing it over carefully. Lucien worked at the lock with careful, measured movements, jaw tight with concentration while everyone else on the beach held th
