Chapter 11 · The First Signature

"Don't even bother screaming, Voss. Soundproofing in this sector is royal grade."

The High Inquisitor didn't just have the King's seal; he had Mara pinned. His gloved hand crushed her shoulder, slamming her back against the cold steel of the bulkhead.

Mara gasped, air leaving her lungs in a sharp hiss. She twisted, fighting the grip, but he was a vice.

*Thud.*

Cael stepped between them, his arm slamming into the Inquisitor’s chest to force a gap.

"Get your hands off her," Cael spat. Low. Dangerous. He didn't look at Mara, but she could feel the heat radiating off him, the sheer tension in his shoulders. He was shielding her, and for a second, the proximity felt more suffocating than the Inquisitor's grip.

"Ah, the traitor plays the hero," the Inquisitor laughed. He stepped back with theatrical grace, looking more amused than threatened. He reached into his cloak and pulled out a piece of yellowed parchment. Physical ink. Rare. Ugly.

Mara shoved herself away from the wall, chest heaving. "What the hell is that?"

"The first reset order," the Inquisitor said, waving the paper. "The one that wiped the city clean ten years ago.