The silence that followed was dense enough to make even the distant sounds of the towers seem to disappear. Freya remained motionless, paler than Heimdall. Vergil merely adjusted the sleeve of his coat where the chains had touched him, as though the rebellion were not a complete surprise.
Heimdall tried to speak without moving his neck.
"How..."
Brynhildr pressed the spear a little harder.
"I told you to be silent."
Vergil allowed a brief smile to escape.
"It seems you made your decision. Although I thought you could have warned me first."
Brynhildr looked at him and, for the first time since ordering their release, her expression softened. Not much. Only enough to show that the remark was not an unexpected accusation.
"I needed to convince all the Valkyries before deciding this," she replied. "A rebellion carried out by half a dozen warriors would be crushed before the end of the day. A decision made by all of us is something else."
