126. Scarlett
Scarlett
T he map took up half the table, Zeke gathering us all for a ‘briefing.’
Old routes marked in charcoal. New ones drawn in red. Pins stabbed through paper, tracking where the Hollow Order still had allies—and where the Red Veil had been seen.
Zeke stood at the head of the table, silver pen in hand—too elegant for a war room, but nothing about this felt ordinary anymore.
“Movement on the eastern perimeter,” he said, tapping the paper. “We spotted a scout—Red Veil. Just one, but that means more are close. The safe-house was supposed to be off-grid. Someone led them here… or they’re using something else to track us.”
Sloane straightened, shifting Hemingway in her lap. “Magic?”
Zeke gave a short nod. “Possibly. Or Lena gave them just enough to narrow it down.”
“So we’re not safe here,” I said.
“We’ve got maybe two days,” he continued. “Once they confirm we’re here, they’ll hit fast. If Brielle’s leading, she won’t wait for orders. She moves reckless when she’s confident.
Sloane sat with Hemingway in her lap, quiet but tracking everything.
“Lena won’t just follow,” I said. “She wants power. She’ll make her own play. Try to finish what she started—divide the Order completely. Maybe even take control of what’s left.”
Zeke nodded. “It’s already splintering. Some of them think the bond makes you a threat. Lena’s just giving them an excuse.”
Kane leaned over the map, tracing a line near the ridge. “Then we cut them off here. Force the Red Veil west into the marshlands. Slows them down. Gives us a buffer.”
“It also traps us if they push from the south,” Alden said flatly.
“We’re not playing defense,” Trace said. “We hit them first. Let them know we’re not scared.”
Sloane raised an eyebrow. “Cool. So we’re going with the sexy-suicidal strategy. Got it.”
I cracked a smile. “It’s kind of our thing.”
Zeke tapped the map again. “Then we prep. Two trucks. Gear up. We go at sundown.”
Everyone nodded, the decision was made without question.
And beneath the fear, beneath the ache that still lived inside my skin, something else clicked into place.
Focus.
Fire.
***
The map was still spread out when the silence settled.
Everyone had moved into their corners. Kane checking gear. Rhett finishing breakfast. Alden cleaning weapons. Trace standing too still.
Zeke was the only one still at the table.
His eyes hadn’t left the Codex.
I moved closer. “What are you thinking?”
He hesitated.
“The last page is missing.”
I looked over to where he was pointing. “What?”
“The Codex. The original. There’s a page that used to come after the Binding laws. It's gone. Torn out. Some say it was lost. Others think it was hidden.”
Trace stepped forward, voice sharp. “What was on it?”
“No one knows for sure,” Zeke said. “But there were references. It supposedly described what happens when a bond isn’t sealed between two—but three.”
Alden looked up, tense. “You’re saying this was predicted?”
Zeke shook his head. “Not predicted. Feared.”
Kane whistled low. “So we’ve got a prophecy with a missing ending?”
“Basically,” Rhett muttered. “Feels on brand.”
I stared at the table.
“At least now we know why they’re afraid of us,” I whispered. “We’re the version they can't control.”
Zeke nodded.
“And maybe,” he added, “that’s why we survive.”