Kaelen's pulse drummed in his ears. The shard under his skin felt molten now, sending jagged sparks up his arm.
He could almost hear it—whispering in a voice that wasn't quite his own.
It will take what you give. And more.
His gaze swept the hollow. The Knotted Veil watched in absolute stillness, their masks unreadable. Iryndra's fingers rested on the curve of her spear, but she made no move—whether in trust or threat, Kaelen couldn't tell.
"I don't give away stolen goods," he said finally, steadying his voice. "Not without something better in return."
The Bone Mask straightened. "Better?" The word scraped like a knife against stone. "You bargain with me?"
Kaelen's jaw tightened. "You called me Vessel. You know what I carry. That means you need me—maybe more than I need you."
For a heartbeat, silence clung to the mist. Then the Bone Mask's porcelain face inclined ever so slightly.
"Name your better."
Kaelen glanced toward the smoke curling from the ossuary archway.
"I want safe passage through your territory—and your word the Knotted Veil won't hunt me or those I travel with."
Iryndra's head snapped toward him, sharp as a blade unsheathed, but she said nothing.
"And in return?" the Bone Mask asked.
Kaelen pulled back his sleeve just enough for the shard's glow to leak through the fabric. The mist hissed against it.
"I'll use this—once—in your favor. One strike. One time. You choose when."
The Bone Mask's cracked mask tilted, as though tasting the offer. Then, with a single nod, the air between them seemed to knot and twist.
"It is agreed," the Bone Mask whispered.
The mist surged forward, wrapping around Kaelen like cold silk, and when it drew back, the burning in his arm dulled to an echo.
The Bone Mask stepped aside. "Go. And pray the day I call on you never comes."
Kaelen followed Iryndra past the archway, the rest of the Knotted Veil falling in behind them. But even as they walked, he could feel the deal tightening around him—like a rope that looked slack but was already looped.