Page 77 of The Shadow Sanctum

“We try not to panic.”

Thorne runs a hand down his face, smearing grime across his cheek. “Not panic? If it’s the water, that means the entire Sanctum could already be⁠—”

“Stop.” My voice cracks like a whip. His mouth snaps shut. “Don’t finish that sentence… We don’t know who’s watching.”

He nods, but his shoulders hunch like he’s physically holding in the words.

I glance around at the white-capped trees with their skeletal branches bowing under their burden. Everything looks so still, so clean, like the world hasn’t rotted underneath. “We’ll need to isolate the wells,” I say finally. “Seal off the ones near the mines first. No one drinks from them until we can test the water.”

Thorne shifts beside me. “And if that doesn’t stop it?”

“It will,” I lie. Because the truth is that if it’s the water, we’re already infected. It’s just a matter of how deadly this is.

From the look of the Dregs…

“We’ll ration water from the streams higher up. The snowmelt is cleanest there.”

His teeth grind under the strain of his flexed jaw. But then he nods. As steady and reliable as always. “I’ll send word… What are we going to do about the children?”

I look off and don’t respond right away. I know the answer even as I hopelessly search for alternatives. This is a scenario even the will of nature is too cruel to allow.

And yet…

She has chosen this path.

“Nothing,” I say past the hollowing of my chest. “We’ll treat this the way we treat everything else… The Shadow Sanctum has no place for the weak.”

Thorne sighs, but by the look on his face, I can tell he agrees. Even when I’m hoping he won’t.

Sawyer wouldn’t.

“I’ll speak to Father,” I say, squeezing my arms as though it’s me who deserves the comfort. I force my hands to my sides and suck in a breath. “We’re going to need to bring in outside expertise to test the water… Perhaps he’ll allow a doctor in as well.”

Thorne nods slowly, the sunlight breaking through the trees to catch on the sharp lines of his face. He doesn’t question me, doesn’t argue. As always, he just accepts my word as law, like it’s carved into stone.

But there’s something under the surface. I see it in the tight set of his mouth, the way his eyes flick to me and away again like he’s holding back words that taste bitter.

Finally, he exhales through his nose and says, “And what will he think?”

The question hangs heavy, souring the cold air between us. He doesn’t need to say Sawyer’s name. I hear it anyway.

I start walking. The snow crunches as he matches my pace, towering over me with his chest lifted. His jaw is clenched, but his eyes aren’t angry, just wounded.

“You know he’ll never understand this,” Thorne says, quieter now. “Men like him… they come from a world where children are coddled well into adulthood. They could never grasp what we do to survive.”

I point my gaze forward and walk to the beat of my heart, though his words grip my ankles. Because they’re true.

“Sawyer has never been coddled a day in his life… Maybe he would disagree with my decision, but it wouldn’t be because he can’t grasp making tough choices for survival. He’s survived plenty.”

Thorne scoffs. “Is that so?”

“Yes.”

“Luna, he’s not one of us. I don’t care what he’s told you about his past. He hasn’t bled with us, starved with us. He hasn’t earned what we’ve endured. How could he ever appreciate you the way the rest of us do?”

“The way you do, Thorne. If you’ll recall, the Shadow Sanctum wants little to do with me.”

“For the moment… They’re going to get over your betrayal as soon as they realize how badly they need you now. And when it’s over, they’ll respect you. Will he?”