Kael’s voice came through the phone ragged and raw, like he had crawled out of violence just to make the call.
There was wind behind him. Water. And something darker, the sound of rage still breathing.
“They sold him,” he said.
A pause. Heavy. Sharp.
“To sirens.”
Liora stopped breathing.
Across the room, Rook went still.
Cassian held the phone tighter against his ear.
“I found the men who took the boat. They talked.” His voice dropped lower, rougher. “I made sure they talked.”
Liora closed her eyes. “Kael, ”
“I’ll get him back.”
His promise wasn’t soft. It was a vow carved in blood.
Then, quieter, and somehow worse:
“I swear it.”
The line went dead.
Cassian lowered the phone slowly, the silence in the room thick enough to choke on.
Liora sat frozen on the couch, her hands l
