Page 1079

‘More on the right,’ said Qorvass. ‘No, wait, that’s Hector and Garovel.’

Sure enough, the Atreyan lord came barreling through the door, clattering and sliding against the stony floor in battered armor. He chucked an iron boulder behind him, which smashed the hallway he’d come from.

The boulder shifted and crumbled, so Asad helped him out, and quartz spikes filled the corridor.

“Th-thank you,” said Hector between panting breaths. He shifted his shield from one hand to the other. “I was coming to warn you about them, but, uh...”

‘Glad to see you’re alright,’ said Chergoa.

Hector returned a nod as his armor destroyed and reshaped itself. “Do we know what they’re after?” he asked.

“No,” said Asad. He lifted the bag on his waist a moment, and Emiliana heard a glassy clinking from therein. “Might be these, though.”

Shenado interrupted. ‘No time to figure it out, I’m afraid. North entrance.’

Emiliana felt her father shift away from her grasp, and she looked up. “Papa?”

The man stepped in front of her. “Stand back,” said Zeff.

And she wanted to say something else, but she couldn’t find any words. It felt like ages since she’d heard his voice.

Marcos looked like he was about to shout something, but the north doors opened before he got the chance.

A small man strolled in and stopped on the far side of the room. “Greetings,” he called out in a soft voice. He had a reaper with him. “If it’s not too much trouble, would you mind answering a question for me?”

No one responded.

“Where did Darktide and the Seadevil go?”

Still no answer.

“They were in their rooms a minute ago,” he said, “but now, they’ve mysteriously vanished. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”