I offered her a small smile, even as the memory of slithering bodies coiled somewhere in the back of my mind, waiting to crawl into my nightmares.
At the end of the corridor, we stopped in front of a heavy steel door. The energy signature behind it was unmistakable now, buzzing under my skin like a live wire. I pressed my hand to the cold metal, feeling the low thrum vibrate through my bones, then looked to Saoirse.
She nodded once. “Let’s see what fresh nightmare awaits.”
I pushed the door open, revealing a small, dimly lit room. At the center, perched on a pedestal like something straight out of a heist movie, was a crystalline object, glowing faintly. The signature we’d been tracking led right to it.
For half a second, I almost believed we’d found the Amplifier.
Then I stepped closer—and my stomach promptly dropped.
“That’s not an Amplifier,” I muttered, voice tight as I eyed the thing warily. The crystal shimmered, its fractured light scattering in intricate, almost too perfect patterns.
Saoirse stepped in beside me. “Nope. It’s their LiaPrism.”
I exhaled sharply. “Enya was right. It must be somewhere in the Human World, where translation can actually be traced. And with this LiaPrism…”
“They will know the second any magus or maga comes near it,” Saoirse finished, her brow furrowing as realization hit.
“Exactly,” I muttered.
Saoirse clenched her jaw. “Great. So we’re no closer to finding the damn thing, but it has to be nearby.”
“Or,” I said grimly, “they only got this LiaPrism recently, and are stashing it here before moving it to wherever the Amplifier is located…”
I trailed off, senses prickling with the distinct feeling we were running out of time.
I reached out cautiously toward the crystal, the faint warmth of its magic brushing against my skin. But as soon as my fingers hovered over it, the pedestal beneath it shimmered and emitted a high-pitched hum. My stomach twisted as I realized—we triggered some sort of protection around it.
“Shit!” Saoirse hissed, taking a step back. A sudden pulse of energy surged through the room, and alarms blared in the distance.
“They know we’re here,” I yelled, heart pounding. Footsteps echoed from the hallway, growing louder with every second.
Saoirse grabbed my arm. “Take it!”
I reached for the LiaPrism again, but an invisible force pushed back against my hand, the pressure intensifying like a shield. “I can’t!”
Saoirse’s eyes darted toward the doorway, the shadows of approaching Radicals flickering against the walls. “We’re out of time!”
I clenched my teeth, focusing on my Nexus, the familiar surge of power coursing through me as I tore open a greenportal. The air shimmered and split, revealing the familiar outlines of Caerleon Manor on the other side.
“Go!” I urged, gripping Saoirse’s arm as we dove through right as the door burst open behind us. Urgent shouts and the glint of weapons filled the room as we vanished into the void.
In an instant, the cold, hostile atmosphere of the bunker was replaced by the cool, tranquil air of Crown’s grounds. We stumbled into the courtyard, the portal snapping shut behind us with a soft hiss.
Saoirse straightened, still breathing like she’d just run a marathon. “Well. That could’ve been less of a disaster.”
I let out a slow breath, trying to convince my heart it didn’t need to evacuate my chest. “At least we didn’t die, which is honestly the gold standard these days. And now we know they have a LiaPrism—and the Amplifier’s in the Human World. We’ll find it.”
She shot me a look, a grin creeping back. “Damn straight.”
I smirked, suddenly realizing I might’ve walked away from this whole mess with more than just intel. I might’ve actually made a friend.
Which, given my track record, felt like the biggest miracle of all.
I found Caden in his library, lounging in his usual chair like a king in his throne, a glass of Scotch resting lazily in his hand. The dim lighting cast warm shadows over his sharp features, accentuating the dark stubble lining his jaw, the scar curving along his neck like an afterthought.
His white shirt clung to his olive-toned skin, the sleeves rolled high enough to reveal ink and muscle. It was impossibleto tell if it was tailored or if he simply wore everything with effortless arrogance.
