Chapter 29 · The Hunt Is in Her Head

Thorne doesn't sit. He circles his desk like I'm the exhibit and he's deciding where to start the dissection.

"Your memories," he says. "I want them extracted. Documented. Before the trial."

I'm still standing by the door. Cain's two steps to my left. The air in here tastes like old leather and something sharper. Metal. Blood, maybe, soaked into the floorboards over decades.

"You want to what?" I keep my voice flat.

"The system doesn't crack on its own." Thorne stops behind his chair, fingers drumming the wood. "You came back with full recall. That means you're either a breach or a key. Either way, I need to see what's inside your head before you walk into the Rift."

Cain shifts. I don't look at him.

"How?" I ask.

Thorne smiles. It doesn't reach his eyes. "Memory extraction. Standard protocol for high-value assets. A Mnemosyne specialist will map the relevant neural clusters. Painless. Mostly."

I almost laugh. Painless. Sure.

"And if I say no?"

"Then you forfeit the trial. And I classify you as a contaminated resource." He tilts his head. "Contaminated resources get quarantined. Indefinitely."

My pulse kicks up but I don't let it show.