Page 154 of Axis of Fire

My throat tightened.

A loyal ally.

Someone they expected to recruit.

Or someone they believed already belonged to them.

“Got it,” Gwen suddenly announced.

I turned toward her.

She had finally managed to retrieve the object from the bottom of the pool.

A brooch.

Unfamiliar.

Elegant.

Its metal surface was engraved with a crest I didn't recognize.

“How did Airis miss this?” I murmured.

Carefully taking the brooch, I turned it over.

The moment I saw the inscription on the back, my breath caught.

Urpis.

I would've sworn on anything.

The words were written in Urpis.

“They came back after you left,” one of the Raars added.

I immediately translated for Gwen.

“The woman returned alone,” the red-headed star explained.

“She dropped the brooch into the water.”

Gwen and I exchanged a glance.

“Looks like she wanted someone to find it.”

Exactly what I had been thinking.

A clue.

Not evidence.

A clue.

Something deliberately left behind.

Something meant to be found.

Something meant to be followed.