Rygnar, nodded. “Probably before you got it.”
“Who would do that?” I asked.
“Someone who planned to activate it remotely,” he said.
“Raiders?”
“Likely.” He glanced up. “Who else handled your gear?”
“No one but—” I stopped. “Mara cleaned my things when I was in the infirmary. But she wouldn’t—”
“She wouldn’t,” he said. “It was probably raiders, and that’s probably how they intercepted your delivery.”
He sliced through the added line. The blinking stopped. “
The silence that followed felt heavier than the noise.
“It’s dead now,” I said.
“Yes. But the signal may already have been received.”
A chill ran through me. “Raiders?”
“Or patrols. Not all human soldiers want peace.”
He sealed the tag inside a small metal box lined with copper mesh. “This will contain any residual signal. We’ll bury it in the lower vents.”
I nodded, my throat tight. “I’m sorry. I never wanted—”
He crossed the space between us in two strides. “Lina.” His voice softened. “You didn’t do this.”
“But I brought it here. I made them doubt you again.”
“They doubt everything,” he said. “That’s how we survived this long.”
I looked up at him, at the steadiness that never seemed to break. “You don’t have to keep defending me.”
“Yes,” he said simply. “I do.”
The words settled deep.
“I don’t want to lose what we have,” I said.
His hand came up, resting lightly against my cheek. “We won’t.”
For a moment, I believed him.
Then Veklan’s voice echoed from the corridor. “Rygnar. Council summons. Now.”
His hand dropped. His gaze shifted, sharpening. “Stay here. Lock the door.”
“What will you tell them?”
“The truth.”
He turned and left.
The door sealed behind him with a faint click.
