Page 39 of Zenith Tower

I held out my hand. Delphine took it without hesitation.

I helped her to her feet. When the bar began to lift, we were both facing the door.

Astra

The bar lifted. A key turned from the corridor, and the door opened.

Marrow entered first. Two guards stood behind him with Caspian between them, one gripping each arm. His collar had been torn open and blood marked the corner of his mouth, but he was upright.

Marrow stopped when he saw Delphine beside me.

His gaze went from her face to the fractured Mark exposed at her wrist.

“Put down the keys,” he said.

I set the ring on the floor. I did not release Delphine’s hand.

“Now let him go.”

Marrow glanced into the corridor. “Release Ashford.”

The guards obeyed. Caspian came into the room and stopped at my shoulder. His hand settled briefly at my back before he looked at Delphine.

“Delphine,” he said.

She leaned more of her weight against me. “Caspian.”

He wiped the blood from his mouth with his thumb. “It’s good to see you.”

Marrow remained near the door. He had not taken his eyes off Delphine.

“You were there,” she said. “During the last reading.”

“Yes.”

“You told them to stop.”

Marrow looked at the damaged lines along her wrist. “I arrived too late.”

“You knew she was in this wing,” I said.

“I knew.”

Anger came back so quickly it left my hand hot around Delphine’s. “You watched me search for her.”

“And if I had told you, Wing C would have been cleared before you reached the first landing.”

“So you left her here.”

Delphine’s fingers shifted against mine. Marrow saw it.

“The readers requested her transfer after the damage occurred,” he said. “I prevented it.”

“Transfer where?”

“The order did not name a destination.”

Caspian’s hand left my back. “And that didn’t trouble you?”