Page 128 of Tears for a Broken Sky
“Where is she?” Caelen shouted, spinning like he could summon her by sheer force of will. “Where is she, Phoenix?”
He grabbed my shirt. I shoved him back, breath ragged. “I don’t know!”
Gods, I should have known. I should’ve stopped her. I should’ve—
“Phoenix!”
Leo sprinted toward us, Maddie close behind. “The boats are ready—but we need to go. Now.”
Then we heard it.
Not war horns.
Departure horns.
I turned toward the sea, heart in my throat.
In the distance, sails were rising—dark banners stretched taut in the wind. Vael’s ships.
“Oh, fuck.” The breath punched out of me. Because there was only one reason they'd be leaving now.
“They have her,” I whispered.
“No.” Leo shook his head. “Slade wouldn’t... he wouldn’t let her go.”
His voice wavered. Trying to sound sure. Desperate to believe it.
“He wouldn’t,” he said again, like repetition could make it true.
But something in my chest curled and twisted.
My hands trembled. I rubbed my wrists, but the star-shaped mark on my palm throbbed—like it knew.
“Slade…” I breathed. “I can’t—”
The thought alone was too much.
Leo’s head snapped toward me. His eyes were wide. Pale.
“No.” He stepped back. “There’s no way. Not Slade.”
But the silence that followed...
None of us could say it.
None of us could bear to.
“We have to go after her. If they’ve taken her—”
“You and Maddie—stop the boat. If she’s on it, get her back.”
Leo blinked. “What about you?”
“General Marcus will handle the evacuation,” Caelen answered, already moving. “We’ll find Slade.”
“I refuse to believe he’s dead,” I said.
“What about Thorne?” Maddie asked.
