Although Salomon had gently glossed over the mistakes in her mission, their consequences, and the remedial measures, Wanda knew that beneath his calm tone lay a level of social coordination beyond ordinary imagination. To bring the secret talks and agreement to fruition so quickly, the City of Immortals had poured in an enormous amount of resources.
It had all begun with her recklessness and the botched recovery mission.
Even though Salomon had not blamed her, she felt terribly guilty. Not to mention that she would later have to face Stephanie Malik, the head of the Internal Affairs Department. She had never had much contact with Hydra's daughter to begin with, and the thought of having to apologize soon made her even more awkward. As she followed Salomon toward the cells, she kept thinking about how to begin the conversation, completely ignoring the alchemical robots in the corridor, the shadow hounds visible only through second sight, and the armed drones huddled in the ceiling corners like ravens returning to their nests.
If Salomon had not held her sleeve and guided her along the safe route, she might very well have suffered an unexpected attack. Salomon discovered that she did not have a single trigger spell on her, which was quite inappropriate—though perhaps it was simply an oversight caused by how completely relaxed she was around him. Salomon frowned and considered it for a moment before deciding that, when they left, he would quietly remind her in a tactful way that would not wound her pride.
Every spellcaster entering a dangerous area had to be prepared to strike back, regardless of who was beside them. Casting spells was not as simple as picking up a pistol and pulling the trigger; every spell began with assembling its components. Instantly casting a retaliatory spell