Chapter 17 · The Hound's Teeth

"Get back! Now!" Sloane screamed, her voice cracking as she shoved Kaelen behind her.

He didn't move. Instead, his hand clamped onto her shoulder, fingers digging into her skin through the thin fabric of her tunic. His grip wasn't comforting. It was a lockdown.

"I told you to move, Kaelen!" she snapped, trying to wrench herself free.

"Too late," he whispered. His voice sounded wrong—deeper, layered with a vibration that made the air around them hum.

Boom.

A blast of concentrated kinetic energy ripped through the ruins of the cathedral, shattering a marble pillar inches from Sloane's head. Dust and limestone sprayed across her face, tasting like old graves and ozone. She stumbled, her boots slipping on the slick, blood-stained floor.

"Missed me," a voice echoed from the shadows. Varis stepped into the light, his Imperial Inquisitor's cloak sweeping the debris. He looked bored. He looked like he was hunting a rabbit, not a fugitive alchemist. "Or maybe I just wanted to see if your little pet actually knows how to bleed."

"Go to hell, Varis," Sloane spat, her hand shaking as she reached for the catalyst vial at her belt.

"Hush, Sloane," Kaelen murmured.