The sigil beneath the third plank pulsed faintly under Fiona's light, its carved lines drinking in the glow like thirsty veins.
I crouched, brushing my fingers just above it without touching.
"Pressure trigger?" Fiona asked.
"Layered," I replied. "Primary activation through weight. Secondary through magic interference. And something else… likely mechanical."
She tilted her head, grabbing my shoulders as she loomed above me. "You can see that?"
"I can feel it."
The sigil wasn't just carved into wood. It was tethered to something like steel. Something below it responded to proximity, like a heartbeat syncing with mine.
Probably the most complex piece of technology I've ever seen in this world.
Interesting.
"Can you disable it?" Fiona asked.
I considered it.
If I used chaos, I could destabilize the magic structure. But if the binding below was linked to a larger defensive web, destabilizing one node might alert the rest.
