CHAPTER 16: THE MOTHER’S SECRET
The tunnel reeked of stagnant water and rusted metal. My boots squelched through mud, and the only light came from the faint glow of the small tactical torch Kael had given me, cupped tight in my palm so it wouldn’t betray my position. Above, I heard the first distant roar of engines — Kael and his team arriving at the main gates, drawing every eye, every gun, every shadow toward the front.
I pushed faster, my heart hammering steady and hard against my ribs, until the tunnel opened into a wide, damp basement stacked with rotting wooden crates and rusted machinery. The air smelled of old dust and something sharp, metallic — blood.
“Mrs. Vance?” I whispered, keeping my voice barely above breath. “It’s Lila. I came with Kael.”
A faint sound from the far cor
