~Kaida Orion POV~
My mind drifted back to Lupus's seal on my palm...the wolf-head imprint that burned permanently. His vow, the Fireblood rune, all undone now if we lost the archive.
We paused at a ruined chapel, once a rest house for pilgrims, rainwater pooled in stained floor tile shaped like a wolf's paw. I dismounted, knelt, and touched the cold stone.
"I can't lose him," I whispered. My voice faltered. "Nor the registry."
Biat placed a hand over mine. "You still wear the Silverline, that gives you leverage with court magic. You must claim that power."
"But if I fail, or if crown sees it as curse..."
"They already do," he said simply. "That's why they sent agents after me in the shaft, they know."
I shivered! We reached the city outskirts near midday. Everything was quiet, market wagons passed, merchants praised jade bowls and water rights, none glanced at me twice. If the Silverline mark was hidden well, maybe we moved.
