Maryelle’s POV
The copper haze still clings to me as Phantom pulls me into the outer corridor. My lungs still burn, my throat raw, but the air here is clearer. Guards stumble out behind us, coughing, their armor streaked with smoke and blood.
Phantom doesn’t waste a breath. His voice cuts through the chaos, sharp and commanding.
“Form ranks! Seal the palace gates! No rogue leaves this ground alive.”
His captain staggers forward, blood on his cheek, sword still in hand. “They were prepared, my lord. Too many. We lost half the line.”
Phantom’s jaw tightens. “Then we rebuild the line. Rally every soldier still standing. We hunt them before the smoke clears.”
I clutch his arm, my voice trembling. “Phantom… they freed him. They helped Canum escape.”
His gaze snaps to mine—magnetic,
