CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Chapter 23: The Blade Between

The morning after the ambush in the Wastes was unnaturally still. No birds. No wind. Only the brittle hiss of ash shifting under boots as the Circle woke to find one truth echoing like thunder through camp:

Lucien was gone.

Lila found the spot where he had slept. The blanket was still warm. His blade was missing. The black one. The one that whispered when the stars went quiet.

Adrien crouched beside her, brows furrowed. “He didn’t even leave tracks.”

“He never does,” Theo growled, pacing. “Shadows don’t leave footprints. Traitors don’t either.”

“He saved my life,” Kael shot back.

“After hesitating.” Theo turned sharply. “And now he disappears? Come on. It’s not hard to do the math.”

Saira stood apart from them, arms folded, gaze distant. “He’s afraid. That doesn’t make him a traitor.”

“It might,” Adrien said quietly. “Fear is how betrayal starts.”