But the longer this dragged on, the harder it was to shake the fear that Lareth hadn’t needed anything from Riven at all—that the whole thing had been about Thane from the start. And Riven had handed him over.
He closed his eyes, jaw tight.
No more mistakes. No more panic.
He just had to survive. Had to stay alert. Had to find a way to fix what he’d broken, even if it killed him.
He set the photograph face down on the nightstand and stared at the door until the light outside slipped into dusk.
He must’ve dozed off without meaning to, because the next thing Riven registered was a dull, rhythmicthud.
He jerked upright, every muscle protesting. For a second he thought it was inside his own head—some lingering echo of nerves still sparking from earlier—but no. It was coming fromthe other side of the wall. Three thuds. A pause. Another thud, softer this time. Something heavy hitting plaster or wood.
Riven swung his legs over the side of the bed, wincing as his feet touched the cold floor, and crossed the room. Pressed his ear to the wall.
Another thump.
He hesitated. Then raised his voice. “Thane?”
Silence.
His pulse skittered. “Thane. Is that you?”
The wall was quiet long enough that he almost pulled back. Then—
A low, strained voice. “Yeah.”
Riven exhaled. Relief hit sharp and fast, making his knees wobble, but he stayed upright.
“Are you—shit, are you alright?”
A rustle, then a dry breath of a laugh. “Definealright.”
“Still breathing works.”
Another pause. “Not great. But…they don’t want me dead yet.”
Riven leaned his forehead against the wall, eyes slipping shut. He imagined Thane sitting on the other side, maybe on the floor too, back against the same stretch of old wallpaper. So close he could almost feel it.
“They hurt you?”
A long silence stretched. “Tried to.”
Something hard twisted in Riven’s chest. “I’m sorry.”
“No,” Thane said quietly. “Don’t do that. You didn’t do this.”
But Riven didn’t believe that. Not entirely. He knew he’d walked them both straight into the trap—had seen it closing too late, with no way to turn back. He shifted, resting his full weight against the wall as if the closeness could travel both ways.
“Just…hearing you helps,” he muttered.
Another pause. Then, softer, “You too.”
Riven let that sit with him a moment, let it anchor him.
Then Thane said, “Save your strength, Riven. It’s only going to get worse from here.”
Riven huffed out a weak laugh. “You’re really bad at pep talks.”
