Dust vanished beneath their boots, replaced by polished wooden floors that reflected the dim lantern light. The further they walked inside, the more immaculate everything became, as if the filth of the outer city had been peeled away layer by layer.
Amelia slowed her steps, eyes roaming with open fascination.
"…This is the architectural style of the East," she said at last.
Julies glanced at her. "You're sure?"
She nodded, crouching slightly to tap the floor with her knuckle. The sound was solid, expensive.
"See the grain? The layout? Even the way the corridors curve instead of forming straight lines. It's meant to guide the flow of people—and information." She whistled softly. "And these floorboards alone could buy a small estate."
Julies frowned. "You're saying they literally laid the floor with money."
"Pretty much."
Emma snorted.
"Ridiculous," she muttered. "All this excess, just to hide in plain sight."
Her eyes flicked upward.
