Chapter 29 · The Scar Road Opens

"Thorne," Rhys said.

Kael's head snapped up.

Cyrus saw it happen. Saw the exact second her eyes went somewhere else. Not blank. Worse. They sharpened. Focused. Like she was looking through a scope instead of at people.

"Stand down," Rhys said, stepping closer. "That's an order."

Kael stood.

The kids went quiet. Even Lien shut up mid-protest. The air changed. Cyrus felt the hairs on his neck go up the way they did right before something broke.

"Kael." He kept his voice low. Calm. "Hey. Look at me."

She didn't.

Her hand went to the knife on her belt. Slow. Precise. The way you drew a weapon when you knew exactly how many seconds you had and how many it'd take to put someone down.

Rhys's jaw tightened. "You're not active. Your term ended. You're civilian."

"She doesn't remember that," Cyrus said. His mouth was dry. "She doesn't remember anything past the last mission. You call her by her combat name and you're gonna get whatever's left in that ink."

"Then you better hope there's still a person under it."

Kael pulled the knife.

Cyrus moved in front of the kids. Stupid. Pointless.