Kaelen walked forward. The chamber felt holy. Heavy. The hum from the sphere grew into a choir.
She spat on the floor. “I hate selfless heroes.”
Through the grates of the old fish refinery, down a rope ladder slick with algae, into the whispering dark where the city’s innards groaned like a dying beast. Lin led the way, her pale fingers tracing symbols on the walls—leftover runes from the builders. Kaelen followed, holding the Heart like a lantern. Captain Vee brought up the rear, her claw scraping sparks off the iron rungs.
It was the closest thing to an apology she had.
