Chapter 36 · Because it could be trapped

"Why?"

"Because it could be trapped."

"Everything connected to you is trapped."

I hooked two fingers beneath the lining and pulled.

The material tore with a wet snap. A folded sheet slid free, sealed in wax and dark with old stains.

Rayne reached for it.

I slashed the knife across his palm.

He stopped inches away. Blood welled across his hand.

"Try that again," I said, "and I won't stop at your palm."

His eyes lowered to the cut. Then he looked back at me.

"You really want to bleed me in front of my own soldiers?"

"I want the truth in front of your own soldiers."

I broke the seal.

The paper smelled like old smoke and iron. The writing was cramped, military, and stamped with three marks: Ironfang, Eastern Command, and the private crest of Cole Brandt.

My stomach dropped.

Rayne saw the crest and stepped toward me.

"Give me that."

"You know what it is."

"Sera, give it to me."

"No."

I unfolded the page all the way. The first line was dated eleven years earlier. The order was addressed to a field officer named Rayne Carter.

Not Commander.