They didn't make it far.
The path from the Glass Vault twisted upward along a narrow ridge, sharp rocks jutting like teeth from the ground. The air had grown heavy, humid with something unnatural, and the sky was a deeper gray than before -closer to violet, like a bruise forming overhead.
Kael moved with one hand against the cliff wall, trying to steady himself. The memory he had seen still throbbed behind his eyes.
Rin.
The name clung to his ribs like frost.
Lira walked just ahead, her braid swinging in time with her steps. She hadn't spoken since Corren's reveal. Her silence was sharp-edged.
Kael opened his mouth to say something-he didn't know what-and that's when the sigil struck.
It bloomed in the air above them, a flare of blue-white light shaped like a spiral, pulsing once, twice, then locking in place. Kael's body froze mid-step. He couldn't move, couldn't speak. His limbs betrayed him.
Lira spun around, arm already raised, but Corren dropped from a ledge above and landed between them with perfect balance.
"Don't," he said simply, drawing a slim wand of dark bone.
Lira's fingers twitched.
"Don't," Corren repeated, firmer. "You cast, he burns."
She gritted her teeth, hands lowering with agonizing slowness.
"You House cowards always come from above," she said.
"We prefer angles," he replied. "Harder to read."
Kael could only watch, trapped inside his own body. The paralysis wasn't pain-it was absence. Like his memory had been paused.
Corren stepped toward him and placed a fingertip against Kael's forehead.
"Stabilize."
The sigil faded, and sensation returned in a rush. Kael gasped and dropped to his knees.
"What the hell did you-"
"I tethered you," Corren said calmly. "Not permanently. Just until we get somewhere safe."
Lira reached for Kael, helping him up.
"I swear," she said, voice low and tight, "if you touch him again-"
"You'll what?" Corren asked, amused. "Forget me harder?"
Kael looked up at him, struggling to breathe evenly. "Where are you taking us?"
"To safety," Corren replied. "Or what's left of it. The House enclave is nearby. You're too valuable to leave out here."
"I'm not a prisoner."
Corren tilted his head. "Then don't act like one."
He turned and began walking toward the narrow ledge that hugged the cliff wall.
Kael looked at Lira, uncertain.
She nodded once. "Go. But keep your eyes open."
Together, they followed Corren into the mist.