The 56th person is taken away by the guards and Lucian signals that he has had enough. The other soldiers leave the room, murmuring about whether they should take over the interrogations, and Lucian is left alone with his thoughts. The image of Talia passing out in the arms of a stranger haunts his every waking moment. Yet, he wants to remain calm. He has to think logically in order to save her. He closes his eyes and once again he sees her walking down the aisle towards Igneous. She looked so beautiful and serene. Whether she noticed or not, every eye in the room was glazed over with tears. For a moment, he visualized himself standing in Igneous’ place.
“That’s not helping me right now!” He chastises himself and gets to his feet. He looks at the maps that litter the walls and all of the
