The bundle warms in Kynes's hands, and the spider mark seems to crawl under the cloth. Across the mill yard, the Merchant stiffens, trying to read his face. Bren shifts a half step closer, ready if this turns sharp.

The Porter swallows hard, eyes fixed on the bundle. The mill wheel grinds on above them, dry as bones, while fog pours through the threshold behind Kynes.

Bren flicks her gaze from the Merchant to Kynes, then toward the dark door of the mill. The bundle gives off a faint pulse, as if something inside is answering the hidden network.

The packet is a handoff, not a prize. If Kynes opens it here, the mill's secret route is exposed.

The Merchant edges back, forced into the open by the theft, while Kynes stands between her and the mill. The confrontation now points straight at Nezznar's chain, and whatever this bundle carries could reveal the next link.

Kynes lifts one hand, and the air around the Merchant and the Porter tightens like a drawn cord. Both jerk still, voices cut off at once.

The Merchant's chin tilts up against the pressure, eyes flashing with startled fury. The Porter goes pale, fingers scrabbling at nothing.

The spider-marked bundle gives a muted pulse in Kynes's other hand, warm as a heartbeat. Under the mill's threshold, the fog swirls lower, waiting.