CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
The promotion came with new problems.
Olivia's first official duty as third-in-command was attending a Vanguard leadership meeting.
She sat at a table with commanders and captains, the youngest person in the room by fifteen years, the shortest by a foot, and the only one whose combat uniform had to be specially tailored because standard sizes didn't accommodate her hips.
"The Covens have analysed the artifact," Sable reported. "It's called the Key of Echoes. One of several devices created before the Veil existed, when our world and the other realms were naturally connected."
"What does it do?" asked Captain Voss, a heavyset man with a scarred face and a permanent scowl.
"It opens doors. Specifically, doors between realms. The Covens believe we can use it to access the realm where the Veil originated—to find its source and seal it permanently."
Murmurs around the table. Olivia raised her hand.
"Thornwood," Sable acknowledged.
"If the Key opens doors, and the creatures came through doors... won't using it let more of them in?"
"A valid concern. The Covens assure us the Key can be calibrated to open specific pathways, controlled and contained."
"And we trust the Covens?"
Sable's blue eyes glinted. "We don't trust anyone. But we need them. Their knowledge of the Veil predates ours by millennia."
"What do they want in exchange?" Lucas asked.
"Access to Compound Seven. A permanent alliance. Shared resources and intelligence." Sable paused. "And they want the Key operated by someone with 'compatible resonance.' Someone the artifact responds to."
Everyone looked at Lucas.
"No," Olivia said immediately.
"It's not your decision," Voss snapped.
"Lucas barely survived touching it the first time. It was controlling him, showing him things. Using him as a—"
"Olivia." Lucas's voice was calm. "It's okay."
"It's not okay! They want to use you like a battery!"
"Probably." He met her eyes across the table. "But if it means sealing the Veil, saving the world... I'd do worse."
"Lucas—"
"We'll discuss it further," Sable interrupted. "For now, the Key stays secured. Dismissed."
Olivia stormed out of the meeting, ignoring Lucas's calls. She found the roof of the armoury and climbed onto it, staring at the fractured sky.
The compound had changed in the weeks since her arrival. Walls had been reinforced. Towers built. More survivors arrived daily, filling the barracks to capacity. The Vanguard was consolidating, preparing for something bigger than survival.
But Olivia couldn't shake the feeling that they were being manipulated. The Covens wanted the Key. The Vanguard wanted the Covens. And Lucas was caught in the middle, his awakening accelerating, his control slipping.
"You're going to get yourself killed," said a voice behind her.
She turned. Cass stood on the roof, her longsword strapped to her back, her expression unreadable.
"Not now, Cass."
"I'm not here to fight. I'm here to... talk." The word seemed to pain her. "About Lucas. And the Key."
"What about them?"
Cass sat beside her, keeping a careful distance. "I know things about awakened power. Things Lucas probably hasn't told you. My brother was awakened. Strong, like Lucas's father. He... he didn't survive his full activation."
Olivia's anger cooled. "What happened?"
"The power consumed him. Literally. He burned from the inside out, essence running wild, until there was nothing left but ash." Cass's jaw tightened. "It happens more than the Vanguard admits. About one in five strong awakenings ends in death. Another one in five ends in... instability. Madness."
"Lucas won't—"
"Lucas is exactly the type who will. Controlled people, when they finally lose control, lose it completely. The box woke something in him. Every time he uses it, that something gets stronger. And harder to contain."
Olivia stared at her. "Why are you telling me this?"
"Because you care about him. And because—" Cass hesitated. "—because I was wrong about you. In the gym, before the world ended. I saw your body and I assumed weakness. That was my failure, not yours. You've proven that. Repeatedly."
"This is your apology?"
"This is my warning. If you care about Lucas, find another way to seal the Veil. Because the path they're putting him on ends with him dead. Or worse."
She stood, brushing dust from her pants.
"One more thing," Cass said. "The Covens aren't what they seem. They knew the Veil would break. They've been preparing for centuries. Ask yourself: if they knew, why didn't they warn anyone? Why let billions die?"
She walked away, leaving Olivia alone with questions that had no easy answers.