And if he was starting to move them outside his labs…
I gingerly grabbed the hilt of one with the fabric of my shirt, then slipped it into my weapon’s belt. It couldn’t hurt to have another sample.
A man in a sleek black uniform and daggers strapped to his body marched toward the line of carriages. “Is this the last of it?” he barked at one of the other guards.
The second one nodded. “We’re almost done.”
“Good,” the man in charge said. “Let’s pick up the speed. This isn’t the only cache we have to move this week.” He jerked his head at the carriages. “Make sure they’re out soon, or we’re leaving you down here when Mortep puts the wards back up.”
This isn’t the only cache we have to move this week.
The meaning of his words snapped into place, and dread pooled in my stomach. Scarven was putting these weapons into circulationthis week. He’d hijacked this old forge—who knew how many other hidden locations he’d turned into holding cells? Once he had them in place, he could release magic-dampening weapons over all six provinces with the snap of a finger.
We had even less time than I imagined. Our people wouldn’t have time to prepare. To react. Without our magic, we were helpless against someone like him.
Was that what this was all for? So Scarven could make a move on the entire Veridian Empire?
I waited a few minutes for the last of the guards to get back to this top level, then ripped the enchanted parchment and a small piece of charcoal from my pockets, quickly scribbling one word.
Go.
The reply was immediate.
Two minutes, starting now.
Two minutes. That was how long of a headstart we agreed on.
I made my way back to the entrance. Arowyn should have stridden to the caves beneath this very spot, where she’d be counting down the seconds to ignite the fire quartz. As long as everyone was out of the lower levels, we would be?—
A scent broke through the haze, drifting to me through the mountain. It was familiar. Like smoke and amber and rose, mixed with something sour.
The world stilled.
Vera.
I turned on instinct, feeling like I was spinning in molasses. My heart beat louder than a drum as ice seeped down my spine.
She was here. My sister washere.
And we were about to blow up this cave.
I snapped into motion, weaving around wheelbarrows and darting over boxes, frantically searching for any sign of her. That dirty-blonde hair, those golden eyes, the sharp cheekbones. I tried to follow the scent, frustration mounting as I counted the seconds in my head. How much time was left?
It didn’t matter. I had to find her.
Boots hammering on stone, breath burning in my chest, I raced through the dim tunnels, dodging stacks of boxes and flickering torches. The ground declined steeply as it led into an underground system of caves. My pulse ticked faster than the seconds remaining. Every step was heavy, driven by panic and a dread deeper than I’d faced before.
One minute left.
A fork appeared in the jagged path. I barreled down the right side, which opened to a larger cave with shelves built into the walls. Boxes and boxes of weapons were already in place, ready toblow. My eyes swept the shelves, the crates, the shadows between stone pillars. Nothing.
Thirty-five seconds.
Time was running out. This underground level was about to go up in flames. Once I found her, we’d both have to shift to make it out alive, but we could do it. We were powerful enough. I wouldn’t leave her again, not after everything.
Then there was movement.
A flicker of color down the tunnel across the cave. Dirty-blonde hair and squared shoulders. I only saw her for a second before she passed, but it was enough.
