Chapter 13 · The Warden Breaks Rank

"Put the blade down, Warden. Give us the girl."

The council guard had his sword against my throat before the archive fire had even stopped screaming.

I shoved Evelyn behind me. The stolen signature board was tucked under my arm, hot enough to burn through my coat. Her fingers caught the back of my shirt.

"Try that again," I said.

The guard's jaw tightened. "By order of the Black Council, Evelyn Hart is under arrest for tampering with sealed disaster records, attacking a council witness, and—"

"And surviving your trap," Evelyn snapped from behind me. "You forgot that one."

Her voice shook, but she still sounded like herself. Sharp. Mean when cornered. I could work with sharp.

The guard glanced past me. "She's contaminated by the breach. Move aside."

"No."

A second guard stepped into the doorway. Then a third. Their black coats were wet with ash, their council pins bright against the soot. Behind them, three councilors stood in the ruined corridor, watching the flames crawl over the shelves.

Oscar Venn wasn't with them.

That bothered me more than the swords.

Councilor Vale lifted his silver cane and tapped it once against the stone.