Chapter 11 · Shadow's Not in the Room

"Your family's dead."

Reina's hand stopped halfway to the relay console. Her fingers didn't shake. That's what told me I was right.

"You don't know what you're talking about." She turned. Her voice was flat. Too flat.

"Shadow promised you," I said. "Report on me, on the facility, on whatever the hell they wanted, and your family walks. That's the deal, right?"

She didn't answer. The comm relay hummed between us, three feet of steel and glass and everything I needed to prove it. Danny's rune was still hot in my pocket. My office. The next blast site. Reina had access to my office. Reina had access to everything.

"How long?" I asked.

"Since intake." Her jaw was tight. "They pulled me aside before I even got my bunk assignment."

"Three years."

"Three years." She moved, finally. One step toward the relay. I moved with her. She stopped. "They have my mother. My brother. You want me to apologize for keeping them alive?"

"I want you to tell me what you gave them."

"Everything." She said it like she was reporting morning headcount. "Class rosters. Drill schedules. Your lesson plans. Which students had the most potential. Which ones were washouts.