The air in the Gilded Hollow grew thick with anticipation.
The Moonstone hovered inside its containment crystal, spinning slowly as power thrummed from within it like a heartbeat — steady, growing stronger with each pulse. The silver light it emitted painted the obsidian walls with eerie halos. The tension that had simmered throughout the auction now boiled beneath every mask and glamour.
The masked bidder, robed in shifting shadow and carved sigils, lifted their obsidian token again.
“Do you accept the royal bid?” the auctioneer asked, voice like velvet dipped in flame.
The room held its breath.
A warlock coughed.
A vampire bared her fangs.
Sophia stood motionless in the gallery, her hands resting at her sides, fingers twitching with the urge to draw steel.
The auctioneer turned t
