“I don’t know if you’ve forgotten, Fitzroy, but the Shadow Glade is a legion in this war too,” he growled, his tone simmering with restrained rage. “We’re on the same side, even if we don’t like the company we’re stuck with. How in the elements are we supposed to help if you won’t tell us what you’re looking for?”
My jaw tightened as fury surged through me, my glare sharp enough to cut. But before I could respond, Perci’s voice rang out, calm yet cutting through the tension.
“We don’t know exactly what we’re looking for,” she said.
I shot her a deathly glare, willing her to stop, but she pressed on.
“What do you mean?” Rhodes demanded, his attention snapping to her.
Perci hesitated only a moment, then sighed. “I mean… we’re not entirely sure what it is. For years, we’ve been searching for the Mareki’s Key. But now, the Hollow doesn’t believe it to be an actual key. Our theory is that Scarlet plays a major role in finding it, but that’s all we have. And until we figure that out, we can’t take it back.”
I dropped my gaze to the table, the weight of my failure pressing against my chest. For months, my mission had been to use themarekemwith Scarlet to uncover the missing piece of our puzzle. The Seer who set our fate into motion may have vanished, but not before leaving behind the first half of the prophecy. This mystery had haunted my father since we were born, and it consumed him after our mother was killed.
“The Glade has been looking too,” said Rhodes.
Stunned, I opened my mouth and closed it again.
The door burst open, yanking me from the thought. A swarm of Shadow Glade soldiers marched in before parting to reveal their leader.
General Wylder.
Fucking asshole.
Elias Wylder entered the war room with the arrogance of a man who believed the space was his to command. His deep gray eyes were as cold and unforgiving as stone, a stark contrast to the careful grooming of his wavy brown hair—a clear sign he cared about appearances. The faint lines etched into his face spoke of his age, placing him near my father’s years. It wasn’t hard to imagine the two of them as cadets in the same year, shaped by the same brutal trials that forged their generation. Tall and imposing like his son, he wore black battle leathers molded to his form, the Shadow Glade’s insignia faintly engraved over his chest. It wasn’t flashy, just enough to set the Glade apart from the Hollow.
Elias and my father both reported directly to War Chief Kalluri. Generations ago, the Hollow had been considered separate from Kalymdor. Our people kept to the mountains, guarding our own and never interfering beyond our borders.
That changed when Kalluri rose as Arya’s War Chief. He formed the Shadow Glade’s secret legion and came to the Hollow, asking my late grandfather for aid in the fight against Tyria.
Now, both legions operated as hidden weapons in the war against the north—shadow armies, invisible to the outside world. Magical borders shrouded both territories, concealing us from anyone who didn’t already know we existed. That secrecy also protected our hidden agreements with the Glade from Kalluri.
And that was why the breach on our borders was more than just an inconvenience—it was a threat left on our doorstep.
“Where’s my son?” Elias demanded, his voice a low, dangerous growl.
My lips curled into a twisted smile as I glanced at Rhodes, who was staring directly at his father.
“Myotherson,” Elias clarified, his tone sharp, refusing to acknowledge Rhodes’s presence.
“Father—” Rhodes began, stepping forward.
“I am speaking to authority, soldier.” Elias’s words cut like a blade, his gaze still fixed elsewhere.
Shadows fell across Rhodes’s face as he backed into the corner, leaning against the wall with one foot propped up. His jaw tightened, but he said nothing.
“Shayde Wylder is being held in our dungeons, General,” Barrett answered, stepping into the tension-filled silence.
Elias moved slowly, his steel-toe boots clicking against the stone floor as he passed behind me. I remained still, leaning on the table, my nails digging into the worn oak.
From the corner of my eye, I watched him close the distance to Barrett, stopping inches away. They now stood face-to-face.
“Why is my son being held prisoner?” Elias barked, his deep gray eyes narrowing. “I want him released immediately.”
Barrett didn’t flinch. “No can do, sir. That’s up toourGeneral.”
Elias clicked his tongue in disdain before grabbing a mug left forgotten on the table. Without warning, he hurled it at Rhodes.
“You’re to blame for this!”
