Damon ran.
He should not have. His body was still weak, his muscles hurt, and his breathing became heavy before he reached the middle of the corridor, but he did not slow down. This time, he was not following a threat planted by Seraphine. He was correcting an error he had identified himself.
The difference mattered.
Cold began circulating through his legs, reinforcing his movements without exploding outward. Ester noticed and shouted at him not to use Qi.
"I am not using the root," Damon answered without stopping. "Only the body."
"That does not improve things as much as you think."
The old wing appeared ahead. One of the guards lay near the entrance, breathing, with a small puncture in his shoulder. The second remained conscious but disoriented. There was no sign of the two men positioned in the inner corridor.
Damon crouched beside the wounded guard.
"Who passed through?"
"A girl," the guard answered with difficulty. "She said she was lost. Then… a needle."
