“And Riley just—” Jace can’t finish.
“Let them enslave people to harvest it,” Stellan completes, disgust clear in his tone.
“Let them keep Bree captive to extract it,” Wes says, his voice going cold in a way I’ve never heard before.
“Does that seem like a coincidence?” Theo asks quietly, but there’s steel beneath the calm.
The implication slams into me. Riley wasn’t just wearing my face—she was keeping me trapped. Feeding Ethos so he’d keep draining me so the veins would keep growing so the Council could keep harvesting.
I was livestock.
My Ether flares again, black threads pulsing through the silver like poison.
“And now?” My voice comes out flat. Dead. “What’s happening to them now?”
Auren’s expression darkens. “The Feeders are still being rounded up. Enslaved.” He pauses, jaw tight. “The Council’s been quiet about it, but my contacts—friends—they keep disappearing, even from hiding. The ones who’ve escaped, they all tell the same story. Forced labor, mining the veins. Besides, the Feeders can touch them without being burned,” he says quietly. “Makes us useful.”
“That means,” my voice shakes, “the Feeders who came to me for help, Mairen, her family, they’re…”
Auren’s silence is answer enough.
“But why would—” I stop. “Riley. She’s allowing this.”
Auren nods slowly. “The woman claiming to be you has been… more than cooperative with the Council’s plans. She didn’t just authorize the expansion—she has a seat on the Council now—the fifth spot, repurposed.”
My breath catches. “She what?”
“Took your place,” Auren says carefully, looking at Thane. “Appeared publicly, played the role perfectly. And in exchange for her cooperation, they gave her everything. Council seat—the one stolen from the Feeders—access, authority.”
Thane’s jaw tightens. “She’s exactly what they wanted. Compliant. Contained.”
“That’s bullshit,” Rhett says, magic flaring.
“Yes. But it’s effective bullshit.” Auren takes a sip of his coffee. “Five years is a long time to build a system. The sanctuary isn’t a refuge anymore—it’s a labor camp. And the Feeders who escaped…” He gestures to himself. “We’re underground now. Hidden networks. Safe houses. Moving people who can still run.”
“It’s disgusting it has to be that way,” Wes says quietly.
“It is.” Auren’s expression darkens. “The Council actively hunts us. They have enforcers, trackers, entire squads dedicated to finding Feeders in hiding. Phil leads most of the operations.”
I feel sick. Five years of this. Five years of Riley wearing my face, using my name, turning everything I built into a prison.
“And the Oath chamber?” I force myself to ask.
Thane’s jaw clenches. “Locked down. A few of us discussed it this morning. The Council claimed it needed ‘proper oversight’ after Riley opened it. At first, access was restricted—Elementals, Seers, and Shifters with ‘adequate control’ only. Mentalists needed pre-approval.”
“And Feeders?” I already know the answer.
“Banned completely.” His voice is lethal. “Anyone who attempts to take the Oath faces binding. Magic stripped, feeding capabilities severed.” He pauses. “Slow starvation. Death.”
“But demand got so high,” Stellan adds, his tone bitter, “they tightened restrictions even further. Now they rarely let anyone through who doesn’t directly benefit the Council’s interests.”
“They turned your gift into a weapon,” Auren says quietly. “Made it exclusive. Elite. Everything you never wanted it to be.”
Wes shifts, his voice quiet but clear. “We all took the Oath. Before we went into the Void.”
Auren’s head snaps up. Then he laughs—actually laughs, sharp and genuine and slightly unhinged. “You’re joking.”
Rhett’s mouth curves slightly. “We’re not.”
