Karev rode back towards the red dome, the movements of his horse doing little to quiet his thoughts. Kriger’s words circled his mind like carrion birds. Cloning?

  It was not mercy that troubled him— Valiants had never balked at slaughtering children, not when obedience was at stake— but this was different. Ragelers were weapons of terror, once unleashed openly.

  Turning one into a boy and hiding it among families, was a subtler cruelty. And worse, it was new.

  Sadnon had been pacified and in their favour. Ragelers were no longer meant to roam its streets.

  When the red dome rose before him, Karev slowed. His gaze swept the guards, the sentries on the walls and the familiar faces that had once meant safety. Now he searched them for guilt.

  Each time a Valiant met his eyes, Karev looked away, masking the suspicion that threatened to surface.

  “Karev.”

  He turned. A Valiant approached. “Thaddeus requests your presence.”

  Karev sighed inwardly. Thaddeus never summoned without ceremony.

  He made his way through the corridors, dismounted, and climbed the steps to the Arch-Valiant’s quarters. Two guards flanked the door. At his words, they stepped aside.

  Inside, Thaddeus sat hunched over his desk, clad only in a short tunic, ink staining his fingers. His soft body spilled into the chair as though it barely contained him. He looked up and smiled.

  “Karev. I’ve been searching everywhere for you.”

  “I escorted Meredith home,” Karev replied evenly.

  Thaddeus nodded, as if this pleased him. He rolled the paper before him into a scroll, dripped red wax, and pressed his seal with practiced care. Only then did he rise.

  “You’re fond of her,” Thaddeus said lightly.

  Karev forced a smile. “I am.”

  For a moment, Thaddeus returned it. Then the warmth drained from his face.

  “And what do you think will happen,” he asked quietly, “when she learns that you are one of those who conjured monsters to kill her people?”

  Karev frowned. “She won’t.”

  “But if she does?”

  Karev opened his mouth. No answer came. He exhaled slowly instead.

  Thaddeus watched him closely, his eyes searching, not for loyalty, but for fear.

  Thaddeus turned from him and crossed the room, stopping before the stand where his robes hung. As he moved, he spoke.

  “I’m not opposed to you marrying that beautiful maiden,” he said. “But there is a reason many Valiants choose not to take wives. Marriage draws the truth closer to the public, especially if a spouse reacts… poorly.”

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  He slipped into his night robe and tied it loosely, then continued, his voice smooth.

  “What you have with Meredith is rare. Almost admirable. But you must reconsider your position, Karev. You are on the brink of becoming Arch-Valiant. A wife can become a weakness. She might even be the cause of your destruction.”

  Karev lifted his brow slightly. “I understand your concern. But my decision remains. I will marry Meredith in a few weeks, and I assure you; she will know nothing of our abilities. Besides, there has been no need to conjure Ragelers in recent times.”

  “In Sadnon, yes,” Thaddeus replied, returning to his desk. “But what of other places?”

  He paused, then looked up. “And you still haven’t answered my question. What happens if she does discover the truth? Would you do what needs to be done to keep the secrets of your brothers safe?”

  The words struck hard.

  Karev’s brows rose, his chest tightening. He knew exactly what Thaddeus meant. He opened his mouth, then stopped. A dangerous thought crossed his mind; this was a test. If he answered wrongly, his path to Arch-Valiant would close, and with it, any chance of reaching Zuhran.

  He lowered his gaze, as if weighing the matter carefully.

  “My loyalty is to the Order,” Karev said at last. “Before anything else. I would do what must be done to protect my brothers.”

  Thaddeus studied him for a long moment. Then he nodded.

  “Good,” he said. “I knew I made the right choice in nominating you as Arch-Valiant.”

  Karev returned the nod with a smile on his face, carefully worn and false.

  “Thaddeus gathered the sealed letter from the table and slid it neatly into a pile of others,” then let out a low grunt.

  “These cursed papers,” he muttered. “Endless. Being Arch-Valiant is more ink than blood, it seems.”

  Karev gave a short laugh. “I’d rather drown in parchment than spend another night hunting Truthers.”

  Thaddeus chuckled softly. “I said the same thing when I first took the mantle. It was thrilling then— command, authority, fear in men’s eyes.” His smile faded into something tired. “But it grows dull. Still, duty calls, and we answer.”

  He gestured lazily at the stack of letters. “One of those must reach Zuhran by tomorrow. He’s in Almeroth, with the Emperor.”

  Karev’s brows lifted before he could stop himself. His pulse thudded hard in his ears.

  “The Lord Valiant is in Almeroth?”

  Thaddeus nodded. “At the Emperor’s request. Anason is safe enough, but out in the open? Even the Emperor prefers stronger protection.”

  Those words gave Karev unsettled thoughts.

  Moments later, Thaddeus waved a hand dismissively. “You may go. I need sleep.”

  Karev turned and walked towards the door, but stopped halfway. Slowly, he turned back.

  “Perhaps,” he said carefully, “it would be best if I delivered the letter to the Lord Valiant myself.”

  Thaddeus shook his head at once. “No. I’ve already arranged a meeting. You’ll be present, of course. I intend to properly introduce you to Zuhran.”

  Karev nodded, forcing composure as his jaw tightened. He dipped his head in respect and left the room in frustration.

  Once outside, Karev’s thoughts narrowed to the opportunity that had slipped through his fingers. Zuhran had been so close. close enough to taste. And Favian and Kriger were in Almeroth as well.

  Fate, it seemed, was circling him, but not yet settling. If he wanted this done properly, he would have to be patient. Recklessness would only ruin everything.

  As he neared his quarters, something tugged at the edge of his awareness.

  A prickle crept along his spine.

  He could feel eyes on him coming from a building ahead and slightly above. Karev slowed, then stopped altogether, his body reacting before his mind fully caught up. He did not look up. Not yet.

  Kriger’s warning surfaced instantly: Someone was watching when i killed the cloned Rageler.

  His jaw tightened.

  Whoever was up there now was no idle observer. If they were connected to the cloning, then acknowledging them, even with a glance, could raise alarm.

  So he moved again, almost at once, resuming his pace as if nothing were amiss.

  But he marked the place carefully. The window, its angle and the floor.

  I’ll find out who lives there, he thought. Soon.