"She's bleeding from the inside."
Seraphis's voice was calm..too calm.
Haelyn snapped her head toward her. "Who?"
"The tether."
Archer stepped forward. "You mean Liora."
"No," Seraphis said, eyes sharp. "I mean the new one. The traitor among us."
They were back at the cave's mouth. Ezra was asleep against Haelyn's chest, peaceful for the first time in days. But the air… the air tasted like betrayal.
Archer's jaw clenched. "You're sure?"
Seraphis nodded. "I felt the energy twist when we left the Pool. Like someone close had anchored Liora's magic again. But this time, it wasn't the child."
Haelyn stood slowly, her body tense. "Then we expose them."
Seraphis looked between them. "No. We kill them."
Deep under the roots of the Moonstone Tree, Zareth washed his hands in a basin of wolf's blood.
Liora stood behind him, pacing. "They're starting to suspect."
Zareth wiped his fingers on his cloak. "Let them."
"You're not afraid they'll trace it back to you?"
"I want them to."
