Chapter 17 · He Remembers My Death

I'm bleeding out on cold stone and Kael's already halfway across the courtyard with a blade in his hand.

Mira's pinned against the wall. Three figures in black, hoods up, blades out. One of them has her by the throat.

"Kael!" I shout it before I think. Before I remember that shouting his name in the middle of an ambush is exactly how you get people killed.

He doesn't turn. He's already moving.

I push off the wall and run. My ribs are still taped from the last reset. My left knee buckles on the third step. I don't stop.

The assassin on the left sees me coming. He pivots, knife up, and I don't have time to block. I duck under his arm and drive my elbow into his kidney. He goes down hard.

Mira's gasping. The one holding her has a blade pressed to her ribs.

"Let her go." Kael's voice is flat. He's ten feet away, sword low, and I know that stance. He's about to kill someone.

"She sold you out, Varden." The assassin's voice is muffled under the hood. "Intel went straight to the Conclave. Ask her."

Kael doesn't ask.