Maya's thoughts moved quickly now, not scattered or uncertain, but precise in their direction. Faces surfaced in her mind, daughters within the extended bloodline, raised under the same traditions, guarded, preserved, kept from bond or claim.
Her cousins.
Young.
Protected.
Untouched.
Her jaw tightened slightly, then stilled.
"She is of my family," Maya said, her voice steady and controlled. "Unmarked. Unclaimed. She carries the same blood."
This time, the reaction was immediate.
The symbols flared brighter, their motion tightening into alignment. Not approval, but acceptance. The ritual had found its direction.
"Then she will answer."
The air shifted sharply.
The pull on her hand ceased at once, the circle beneath her stilling as though holding its breath.
And then....
Something else entered the chamber.
