Chapter 16 · The Heir's Death Notice

"Let go of me, Dorian."

His hand closed around my wrist before I reached the archive stairs. Not hard enough to bruise. Hard enough to remind me that he could.

I twisted against his grip. "You signed my death notice. You don't get to stop me now."

His jaw tightened. The command seal at his throat knocked against his black coat as he pulled me back from the cracked floor.

"I signed an order," he said. "I didn't know what Calder had done to it."

"You read it. You stamped it. You sent soldiers to hunt me."

"Yes."

That single word hit harder than an excuse would have.

The archive shuddered beneath us. Dust dropped from the ceiling in thin gray lines. Somewhere below, stone groaned like a living thing trying to wake up.

Dorian released my wrist, but he stayed in front of me.

"The core fragment is still inside," he said. "If you walk out, Calder gets it."

"Then go get it. You're very good at following orders."

His eyes cut toward the sealed vault door. A red line glowed around its edges. The memory core had been quiet when we entered.