Wish took a breath.
"My sister Vish is Eryx's mate," she said. "And I knew that when she crossed near the border, it would break the seal. I never told you because I didn't want you to kill her."
Silence.
The kind that pressed down on the space between them like a held blade.
"I'm sorry," she added. "But even now, I don't think I would choose differently if the situation were to reverse itself."
Dusk turned to look at her fully. His face was carefully blank — the kind of blank that meant he was processing, sifting through his emotions and deciding, deliberately, which one to let through. "You knew," he said. Flat. Precise. "You knew the seal would break."
"Yes."
"And you did not tell us."
"No."
