Chapter 16 · No Way Back

"Drop the girl and put your hands up, heretic!"

The shout ripped through the sanctuary, bouncing off the vaulted ceiling like a physical blow.

Silas felt Viviane shudder. Their palms were still fused, skin locked tight by that damn glowing mark. He could feel her pulse—fast, erratic, a trapped bird hammering against her ribs.

"I'm not letting go," Silas snapped. He yanked her closer, his arm hooking around her waist. He didn't have a blade, but he had her. In this cursed city, she was the only thing that didn't want him dead.

"Viviane!"

Kael stepped forward. The lead guard had served under her for three years, but now his crossbow was leveled straight at Silas’s forehead.

"Step away from the mage. Now," Kael warned. "One more second and we treat you as a collaborator. You know how we handle those."

Viviane’s grip on Silas’s hand tightened. She didn't look at Kael. She was staring at the blood-stained documents in her other hand—the proof that Bellamy had been using prisoners as fuel for this loop.

"Kael, listen to me," she whispered. Her voice cracked. "The documents... Bellamy... he lied to everyone."

"Shut it, Inquisitor," Kael barked.