---
Mira stood slightly to one side, shoulders straight, hands clasped calmly, eyes clear. She did not look frightened, but she looked ready, the way a person looked when they had chosen a road and had accepted that it would not be gentle.
The twins stood together.
Vera and Vela.
They moved like a paired rhythm. Same posture, different expression.
One watched the gate like it was an enemy. The other watched Sekhmet like he was a storm she had decided to stand inside.
Their clothes were simple for now, but they wore them like people who had once been noble and were refusing to forget it.
The gate had not opened yet.
The guards had not fully recognized the situation.
It was still that brief moment before a house decided whether to welcome you or question you.
Then the gate cracked open.
A servant stepped out.
His eyes widened when he saw the number of women behind Sekhmet.
His brain visibly struggled to count.
