The stone had blistered outward, jagged edges glistening with a faint, unnatural black sheen, as if something had burned from the inside and spat rock like shrapnel.
Chunks littered the floor.
Baron stopped dead, eyes narrowing.
This wasn’t Hollow Six's illusions. This was real.
Someone had done this.
And he already had a name in the back of his throat, bitter and burning.
He bit the sound down before it left his lips.
But his chest knew.
★★★
★★★
Elowyn slammed her door shut and pressed her back against it, breath jerking in and out of her chest. Dust still clung to her cropped hair, her sleeves, her lashes.
The silence of the room felt sharper than knives.
She staggered to her desk and yanked open the drawer. The parchment nearly ripped under her grip as she dragged it free.
