Just stared down at the map—at nothing.
“Then we left him. To be tortured.” Phoenix exhaled sharply, dragging a hand down his face like the weight of it had finally landed.
“Gods, Thorne…”
“We have to find out. We have to know – “ I said, my voice tight. “Tomorrow we’ll go back to Varrowmere – we’ll hunt him out!”
“We can’t,” Phoenix said.
“Phoenix—”
“Wecan’t, Elle!”
His voice cracked — more fear than anger.
“We’d be going in withnothing. No plan. No allies. The Shades are still programmed to hunt us down. They’d sense us the second we stepped off the boat.”
He ran a hand through his hair, visibly shaken.
“We wouldn’t be rescuing him. We’d be walking straight into a death trap.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Maybe you can’t, but I could.”
“Absolutely not.”
“Why not?” I demanded. “I could hide in my shadows. They would never see me coming.”
“You think that wouldmatter?” Phoenix said, voice low. “They don’t need to see you—they’dsenseyou. Just like we could.”
“I won’t leave him there!”
“We don’t knowanything!” His voice rose, rougher now. “So before you run off half-cocked, we need aplan.”
“Whose plan?” I shot back. “Who would even bother to help us rescue a Shade?”
Phoenix exhaled through his teeth, trying to rein himself in.
“Lacey,” he said. “She’s been living in Varrowmere for years. If anyone can get us information, it’s her. But we need to talk to her—first.”
I stood up, eyes narrow, shoulders tight.
Phoenix rose with me.
He stepped close and placed his hands gently on my shoulders, steadying me.
“I know your first instinct is to fight,” he said quietly. “You do it for everything. It’s who you are.”
His gaze held mine—firm, not unkind.
“But this time… we need to fightsmarter.”
I shook his hands loose. “Fine. I’ll wait,for now.”I snapped. “But not forever.”
He offered me a watery smile. “I wouldn’t expect anything less.” He sat back down. “Try to sleep, Elle. We’ll figure it out—together.”
I nodded. But both of us knew this wasn’t over.
Not by a long shot.
