Charles checked his sword blade. Clean. He hadn't engaged. Naomi noticed but didn't comment. Belle's glance toward the back of the formation carried enough contempt for both of them.
Dante's nullification field had never activated. The encounter lasted less than six seconds, faster than his deployment window.
"Good," Naomi said, because someone had to and she'd learned from watching Jace that acknowledging success mattered even when the success was small. "Let's keep moving."
The ravine deepened. The walls grew taller, closed in from both sides. The root canopy thickened until the space became a tunnel instead of an open-air passage. The humidity stopped being uncomfortable and became something worse.
