Elias notices immediately. “What’s wrong?” he asks, gaze flicking between our faces. “You all look like you’re about to confiscate the punch bowl.”
Bob grimaces. “That bad, huh?”
I stop walking.
Elias stops with me, concern sharpening his expression. The lantern light catches the edges of his face, turning the gold in his eyes almost molten. I take a breath that feels like it scrapes my lungs on the way in.
“I should have told you sooner,” I say.
His brow furrows. “Told me what?”
Christopher shifts, giving us space without leaving earshot. Bob folds his wings in tight, stormlight dimmed to a faint crackle under his feathers.
“There’s something out there,” I continue, choosing my words carefully even now. “It followed us here.”
Elias’s shoulders tense. “Followed us?”
“Yes.”
The word lands between us, heavy and unavoidable.
“I felt it days ago,” I admit. “On the road. It wasn’t tracking me. It was tracking you.”
His eyes flash—anger first, sharp and immediate. “And you didn’t think that was information I should know?”
“I thought—” I stop, jaw tightening. “I thought keeping you unaware would keep you safe.”
“That’s not your call,” he says slowly, carefully.
He’s right. Prickly thorns, he’s right, and the knowledge burns.
Bob clears his throat softly. “We believe the wards were tested tonight. Not breached fully, but… compromised.”
Elias looks at him, then back at me. “Tested how?”
“Like someone pressing on a locked door to see where it gives,” I say. “They didn’t come through. But they learned something.”
“And you’re telling me now,” he says, voice tight, “because?”
“Because I can’t protect you from something you don’t understand,” I answer quietly. “And because if it moves again, I need you to listen to me without question.”
Silence stretches.
Then Elias exhales, long and controlled, hands clenching at his sides. “I’m frustrated,” he says flatly. “A little pissed, actually. But I trust you.”
The words hit harder than his anger would have.
“I shouldn’t,” he continues, eyes locked on mine. “You took away my agency. But I know you didn’t do it to control me. You did it because you were scared.”
“Yes,” I admit. “I was.”
Bob steps in gently. “Boone and I are going to investigate the weak point. Quietly. We don’t want to cause panic. There won’t be any announcements.”
Christopher nods, offering a steady smile. “I’ll stay here.”
“With Elias,” Bob adds, looking at him directly. “Inside the inner ward line. Not the perimeter. Somewhere safe.”
Elias looks between us, clearly hating the plan, and then sighs. “Fine. But I’m not hiding. I’m staying visible.”
