Lira returned quietly, pushing aside the tent flap with her shoulder as though she did not want to draw too much attention to herself. In her hands were two masks wrapped carefully in linen, and she paused beside Lucas before unfolding them.
"I did not know which would suit you," she said, her voice low and steady despite the worry in her eyes. "So I brought both."
She held them out for him to see. One was silver in color, smooth and cool looking, with faint lines etched along its edges that caught the lantern light softly. The other was black, darker and heavier in presence, its surface absorbing light rather than reflecting it.
Lucas studied them for a long moment, his thoughts drifting without his permission. A mask. He had seen the empress hide her face behind silk and power, never imagining the day he would need something similar. Slowly, he reached out and took the silver one.
"This one," he said at last, his voice calm but tired. "It feels right."
