Page 48 of Sy

Kraath approached, looming over them. “We need samples. Data. Whatever that structure did?—”

“Later,” Ashley cut him off. “Get my daughter out of here first.”

Kraath nodded to his team. “Move out. Carefully.” He touched his comm unit. “We have a medical team standing by topside with Prince Isan on call to direct them.”

The security team lifted the stretcher. Ashley kept pace beside them, her hand still joined with Lila’s. She felt Sy fall into step behind her, his presence a reassuring shield at her back as they left the cavern.

The security team navigated the stretcher through the narrow passage with practiced precision. She stayed close, one hand remaining locked with Lila’s. The beam from her headlamp caught the moisture beading on the rock face, making it glitter like scattered stars in a midnight sky.

“Watch your step here,” Kraath called from the front, his voice low but carrying. “Ground’s uneven.”

The stretcher-bearers slowed, carefully picking their way across a section where the floor had cracked and shifted. Lila’s fingers tightened around hers as they jolted over a particularly rough patch.

“You okay, baby?” she whispered.

Lila managed a weak nod, though her face was ghost-pale in the harsh light of the headlamps.

A tremor shuddered through the cave, sending loose pebbles skittering across the ground. Her heart jumped into her throat, but Kraath’s calm voice cut through her rising panic.

“Standard settling. Keep moving. Carefully.”

They pressed on, forced into single file by the narrowing walls. She could hear Sy behind her, his footsteps steady and sure. Every few minutes, he called quiet warnings about low-hanging rocks or treacherous footing to those behind him.

The passage twisted upward, requiring them to lift the stretcher higher. Her muscles tensed as she watched, ready to help if needed, but the security team managed it smoothly. Sy stepped forward, one hand steadying the stretcher while the bearers adjusted their grip.

“I’ve got her,” he murmured, and Ashley knew he wasn’t just talking about that moment.

She caught herself studying his profile in the dim light—the determined set of his jaw, the gentle way he guided the stretcher past a jutting rock, the protective stance he maintained between Lila and any potential danger. Something warm and unexpected bloomed in her chest, something that had nothing to do with maternal concern.

Another tremor shook the cave, stronger this time. Sy’s hand shot out, steadying her before she realized she was stumbling. The touch sent electricity racing up her arm, and suddenly she couldn’t breathe—and not because of the cave’s close air.

“You okay?” he asked, his voice low and concerned.

She nodded, not trusting her voice. Because how could she be okay?

“Let’s just get her out of here. I need to know she’s going to be okay.”

16

The garrison’s corridors echoed with the aftermath of rescue—boots on metal floors, voices calling updates, the whir of diagnostic equipment being wheeled past. Ashley’s fingers tightened around Lila’s as they emerged from the cave entrance right beside the garrison wall. She hadn’t realized they were so close. The journey to find the kids had felt like miles of endless walking through tunnels and darkness.

“Nearly there, baby,” she murmured, guiding her daughter toward the garrison’s main doors.

Lila’s palm felt clammy against hers. Ashley fought the urge to scoop her up and carry her the rest of the way, knowing her daughter would protest being treated like a child. The stone-walled corridor to medical stretched ahead, seeming impossibly long despite being only a few meters.

“Ashley!”

Michelle Trevor’s voice cut through the air. Ashley’s stride faltered, but she kept moving, pretending she hadn’t heard. Whatever it was could wait. Had to wait.

“Ashley, please… it’s important.” Rapid footsteps approached from behind.

Lila squeezed her hand. “Mom?”

She stopped, her chest tightening as she turned to face her senior engineer. The look in Michelle’s eyes made Ashley’s stomach drop.

“What is it?”

Michelle’s gaze flicked to Lila, her expression softening. “How are you doing, honey?”

---