Back in Heights, inside the chamber near the Wall, Lavinia stood at the center, clutching Korvath's Communication Crystal so tightly her knuckles had turned white.
The said crystal shone lightly as Kael's voice crackled faintly through the glow.
[I'm surrounded… there are eighty of them—no, eighty-one.
And they have a way to track my movements,
I cannot escape.]
"What!?"
Kayden's chair scraped violently against the floor as he shot to his feet.
"Eighty-one…? How…?"
Korvath too froze mid-step, his face grim.
But neither of their reactions compared to Lavinia's.
"Kael—what do you mean you can't escape!?"
Her voice cracked, trembling as she shouted into the crystal.
Her sudden reaction instantly made the other two men in the room turn toward her. Her eyes were wide, breath catching in her throat. The woman who always carried herself with grace, poise, and an almost frightening calm—suddenly looked… different.
