The sky had deepened into shades of mauve and slate. A gull's cry echoed from the distant docks, but this part of the city was eerily quiet—too quiet for a port district. The usual clatter of carts and chatter of traders had vanished behind us, swallowed by narrow lanes and forgotten alleys.
Once we ducked into a secluded corner behind a crumbling stone building, Alessio drew his sea-green pendant—the communication artifact—from beneath his cloak. A soft glow shimmered across its surface as he began the call.
Alessio pressed two fingers to the surface of the pendant. A soft glow shimmered across it as the connection activated. His voice remained low and steady as he relayed instructions through the link. He told Caleb what we'd found and sent our location—a built-in feature of the pendant that let users on the same network track each other in real time.
At the same time, Alessio gave Mateo a separate order: find the boy's younger sister and secure her before anyone could move her.
