The rain eased while Kael held Derrick against the oak. Blood darkened the roots, but Derrick had stopped looking at the clearing.
His body shook.
"The stones are so cold," he said through blood. "The door. Why did you lock the door?"
My pulse stumbled.
Those had been my last thoughts on the dungeon floor. Derrick could see them now.
His gaze found me on the wall. In whatever memory had opened, he watched my breathing slow and heard himself tell the guards, "She's no longer useful."
More came after. I saw it register in pieces. The failed barrier. Sickness inside the pack. Invaders crossing land he could no longer defend. His own death among the ruins.
He had received the same second life as Kael and me, only his memories had waited until the end.
"A chance," he choked out. "We had
