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“There’s nothing to find.”

“Poisoning people with magic. Contaminating the food supply.” He smiles. “We’ll see, won’t we?”

Then he looks at me. Really looks.

“And you. I’d stay away from the Hollow if I were you. Things are changing. Progress is coming.”

Every muscle in my body goes rigid.

“What did you say?”

“The Hollow won’t be a problem much longer.” His smile widens. “The town council has plans. Big plans. Development. A proper nature preserve with walking trails and visitor centers. Educational programs for the children. We’re going to clean it up. Make it safe.”

He opens the door. The bell chimes.

“All those old wards and barriers,” he continues. “All that primitive superstition. We’ll tear it down. Let the light in. Imagine what that land could be if we just... modernized it.”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“Watch me.”

He steps outside. Crosses the street. Gets in the black sedan.

Takes out his phone. Points it at the bakery.

Takes pictures.

I watch him through the window. My hands are shaking. Not from fear. From rage.

He knows. He knows what the wards are holding back. What will happen if they fail.

And he doesn’t care.

“What did he mean?” Kaia’s voice pulls me back. “The Hollow won’t be a problem. What does that mean?”

I can’t answer right away. My throat is too tight. My eyes have gone black. I can feel it. The void pressing closer to the surface.

“He wouldn’t,” I say finally. “Even someone like him wouldn’t be that stupid.”

“Wouldn’t what?”

“Break the barrier.”

I turn to face her. Her expression shifts. Fear. Not of me. For me.

“The Hollow isn’t just a swamp, Kaia. It’s a prison. A holding place.” I move closer. Stop before I get too close. “When the world was young and magic was everywhere, certain things were locked away. Too dangerous. Too hungry. The wards keep them contained.”

Her hand goes to her stomach. Protective. “And if someone tears down the wards?”

“They get out.”

The words taste like ash.

She looks around the bakery. At the normal things. The safe things.

“He’s not just trying to shut down the bakery,” she says slowly. “He’s planning something bigger.”

“Yes.”