Fiona forced herself to continue, though every word felt like a stone pulled from the bottom of a deep well.
"I joined hands with that monster."
Sara's eyes widened. For a moment, the cold composure that she wore like armor cracked, revealing something underneath, disbelief, yes, but also something else. Something that looked like betrayal. "What?"
"Yes, Chief," Fiona said, her voice steady despite the trembling in her hands.
"I joined hands with her."
Sara's voice dropped, becoming cold and sharp.
"Are you serious, Fiona? About this?" She leaned forward, her violet eyes boring into Fiona's, searching for any sign that this was a joke, a mistake, a misunderstanding.
Fiona did not say anything.
She kept her silence, her head bowed, her hands folded in her lap.
The weight of her decision pressed down on her shoulders like a physical thing.
Sara's aura leaked.
The temperature in the room dropped.
The lights flickered.
