Chapter 18 · The Old Map Beneath the Roots

"By order of the Crown, Rowan Vale, surrender yourself for arrest!"

The ceiling blew apart behind us. Stone struck my shoulder, and I grabbed Lyra's arm before the tunnel could bury us.

"Keep moving."

She tore free. "That's Halden."

"Then move faster."

"He trained me." Her hand disappeared inside her coat. "He signed the original investigation."

Another voice rang through the hole above us. "Investigator Quill, step away from the fugitive. Your warrant remains active under emergency succession law."

Lyra pulled out a folded packet. Blood from her burned palm had stained the corner. The royal seal cracked down the middle where she'd cut away my tracking mark.

I pointed at it. "That's the warrant?"

"Mine."

"You brought it into a collapsing tunnel?"

"I brought proof."

A hooked line punched through the broken ceiling. Red lantern light spilled over the roots. A helmeted face appeared in the gap.

"Investigator Quill," Halden called. "You're compromised. Step away from Vale, and the Crown may overlook your unauthorized injury."

Lyra looked down at the packet.

For one breath, she stood still. The red light caught the blood on her fingers.