Earlier that morning, Hook and Ruffus, riding in an ordinary-looking carriage, entered the mayor's sprawling estate southeast of the town center. The mansion seemed to be glowing in the late morning as sunlight was reflected off the surrounding canyon walls.
"Did you see that?" he said, a note of awe in his voice.
Ruffus squinted toward the horizon, brushing a hand over his stubbled jaw. "What?"
"There," Hook gestured. "The way the mansion gleams."
Ruffus asked narrowing his eyes. "Ah, I see it. The mansion seemed to be glowing."
Indeed, the mayor's home—grand and palatial with tall white columns and terraced balconies—glimmered beneath the morning sun. The canyon walls around it acted like mirrors, casting golden light across the estate, making it seem to radiate its own power.
