Rejected by My Mate, Desired by His Enemy
I pass my hand over each one.
The stone is silent. The bead has a faint hum, old protective magic, benign. The iron ring makes my palm itch and then burn, fast and unpleasant.
"Dark work," I say, pulling my hand back.
"Very old." Sage picks it up herself, unbothered. "From the collection I've built tracking Greymoon's destruction. You'll need to identify things like this in a room full of people who don't want you to notice."
I practice until the detection becomes instant. Stone, safe. Bead, safe. Ring, run.