“Because she cannot have it,” he says, and there’s something in his voice that cuts through any argument I might have had. “And because you will not hesitate when it matters.”
Before I can question it further, he presses it into my hand, closing my fingers around it with surprising strength.
“Whatever happens,” he adds, lowering his voice, “she does not get this.”
Something about the way he says it makes my gut twist. “Got it,” I say.
That’s all there is time for.
“Move!” Shanae snaps from across the room.
Solan is already at the doorway, his presence filling it completely as he glances back once. “Now,” he says.
The corridors are alive with purpose.
Bodies move around us in fast, efficient patterns, weapons flashing in the low light as fighters take positions. The sound of battle now bleeds through the stone—distant clashes, shouted commands, the unmistakable ring of metal striking metal.
We cut through it all at speed.
Solan leads, carving a path through the movement with sheer presence alone. People move for him without needing to be told, recognising what he is, what he represents.
Sonny keeps pace beside me, breathing steady despite the sprint. “Still glad you stayed?” he mutters.
“Shut up,” I shoot back.
He grins, brief and self-satisfied. “Thought so.”
We don’t slow. Not until we hit the inner corridor where familiar voices echo ahead.
“—I said I’m fine!”
Jamie.
Relief hits fast and hard.
We round the corner, and the scene snaps into place.
Jack stands in front of Jamie, arms folded, tension written into every line of him. Caly hovers just to one side, calm in a way that feels deliberate, controlled.
Jamie looks furious and scared.
“Good,” Jack says as we approach, though the word is strained. “You’re here.”
“Full breach,” Sonny says. “South side.”
Jamie’s head snaps towards us. “What?”
“No time,” Solan cuts in. “We move.”
“Move where?” Jamie demands.
“Deeper,” I say. “Now.”
He hesitates, just for a second, then nods.
Caly steps forward immediately, already turning towards a narrower passage. “This way,” he says.
The light shifts as we move deeper, the glow-veins in the stone thinning, the air cooler, quieter. The sounds of battle fade behind us, replaced by the enclosed echo of our own movements.
