Chapter 19 · The Echo of a Dead Man

"Do you really think he’s the one who’ll save you, Lena?"

The voice didn't just hit my ears—it rattled my teeth. I froze. My boots skidded on the polished obsidian floor of the inner sanctum, sending a screech through the silence.

Ten feet away stood Calder.

Not *my* Calder. Not the man currently gripping my wrist so hard I could feel his pulse hammering against my skin. This version wore a high-collared white robe that screamed Council authority. And he had a smirk on his face that my Calder would never wear.

"Get back," Calder hissed. He yanked me behind him, his voice a jagged edge of raw terror.

"Oh, look at that," the First Seat drawled. He tilted his head, mocking the man protecting me. He was a mirror image—right down to the scar on his jaw. "The loyal dog actually grew a conscience. How touching."

He looked at me, his eyes cold. "Tell me, Lena. Does he still smell like the blood of the people he betrayed in the last twelve loops?"

I stepped out from behind Calder, my heart hammering. "What the hell is this?