Chapter 26 · The Name He Tried to Bury

"You want my testimony? Fine. Put Lucan Thorne's name on the record."

The council chamber went dead quiet.

Bram Calder stood behind the witness rail with one hand pressed over his ribs. His expensive coat was torn at the shoulder, and the gold ring on his left hand caught every lamp in the room. The same ring he had given Nora three years ago.

The same ring he had worn while signing the order that sent her to the execution stage.

He looked at her like she had walked in from the grave to ruin his afternoon.

"Nora," he said, keeping his voice low, "you don't know what you're doing."

"I know exactly what I'm doing." She turned toward the council benches. "Bram Calder used forged curse reports to seize my laboratory. He buried witness statements. He paid two examiners to change their findings. And every order moved through one office."

Her fingers tightened around the black evidence folder.

"Lucan Thorne's office."

Lucan stood three steps behind her, silent in his dark investigator's coat. His jaw locked. The silver clasp at his throat pressed against his skin as his breathing slowed.

Bram smiled, but it came out thin.