Chapter 20 · The Hollow Cure - Chapter 20: The Inquisitor's Shadow

"Don't move, or I'll have your hands removed before you can blink," Aldrus said, his voice like grinding stone.

The cold steel of a ritual blade pressed against the side of Kael's neck. He didn't flinch, but he could feel the heat radiating from the Inquisitor's body—a suffocating, holy pressure that made the air feel thick.

Kael shifted his gaze. Lyra was pinned against the damp stone wall behind them, two Church guards holding her arms locked behind her back. Her face was pale, her breathing ragged, and the crystalline shards on her collarbone were pulsing a violent, angry violet.

"You're shaking, Surgeon," Aldrus whispered, leaning in. The smell of incense and old blood clung to him. "Is it fear? Or just the realization that you're out of tricks?"

"I've got plenty of tricks," Kael spat, his voice raspy. "Just not many that involve getting sliced open in a basement."

Aldrus chuckled, a dry, mirthless sound. He pressed the blade deeper, just enough to draw a single, thin bead of blood. "Your bravado is charming. Truly. But let's talk about the brain core. I know you found the blueprint. I know you've been digging in the dead man's mind.