KAEL
Nyssa hung from the chains, her wrists bound above her head. Her body was bare, bruised, and streaked with blood. Lucan lay crumpled in the corner, chest rising in shallow pulls. Too slow. Too uneven.
Markel had been locked in the cage beside mine. It was empty now. They had dragged him out while he was still unconscious. I had not seen where they took him.
Electricity ran through the bars of my cage. Blue sparks flickered along the metal. The air smelled burned.
Sitting in the center, I forced my breathing to slow. Rage pressed against my ribs. It wanted out. It wanted blood.
Fen was not here. That cut deeper than I expected. Still, the bond between us pulsed faint but steady. He was alive. Somewhere close enough to feel.
There was nothing from Markel. No thread. No signal. On
