Page 19 of Lost in Fire

The encrypted phone hidden in my desk drawer tugs at my attention.

There’s been no response. No acknowledgment. No way to know if Hargen even received it, or if it disappeared into the digital ether like a prayer offered to an empty sky.

What did you expect?That he’d come running to save a daughter he doesn’t know exists? That after twenty-one years of believing you’re dead, he’d just accept your word about having his child?

The rational part of my mind is ruthless in its assessment. But the desperate mother clawing at my chest refuses to listen to reason.

He has to have gotten it. He has to know. He has to—

A sharp rap at my door cuts through the spiral of hope and desperation. “Enter.”

Elder Vex sweeps in without ceremony, moving with the confident stride of someone who’s never doubted their place in the world, never questioned their right to decide who lives and dies.

“Elder.” I don’t look up from my paperwork, letting him see detachment, not the cold fear his presence always brings. “To what do I owe this unexpected visit?”

“Business, Elder. The kind that requires your particular expertise.”

Something in his tone makes my fingers still against the document I’m reviewing. When Vex sounds pleased, people die. Usually in unpleasant ways.

“Indeed? What manner of business?”

“We have a subject in custody. Someone who once worked within our ranks but claims he was manipulated by an asset.”He settles into the chair across from my desk without invitation. “He handed himself over voluntarily, with promises of providing valuable intelligence on the Aurora Collective.”

I set down my pen, finally giving him my full attention. “And you doubt his sincerity?”

“I doubt everything, Elder Arrowvane. It’s what’s kept me alive this long.” His mask tilts slightly—the mechanical equivalent of a cunning smile. “This particular individual could be a genuine defector seeking redemption. Or he could be a dangerous infiltration attempt.”

“What makes him significant?”

“His background. His connections. His potential access to information we need.” Vex leans forward, his voice dropping. “If he’s genuine, he could provide detailed intelligence on Aurora operations. Leadership structures. Strategic objectives. The location of high-value targets we’ve been hunting.”

“And if he’s not genuine?”

“Then we need to know what the Collective hopes to gain by sending him.” His satisfaction radiates through his mask. “Which is why I need you to handle the interrogation personally. Your skills are unparalleled.”

“You flatter me.” I lean back in my chair, projecting the cold authority that has kept me alive in this position. “But surely our standard interrogation protocols—”

“Won’t suffice for this,” he cuts me off. “This subject has extensive training in resistance techniques. Former military background. Counter-intelligence experience. If anyone can determine his true loyalties, it’s you.”

Former military. Counter-intelligence experience.

The description triggers something in my memory, but I push it aside. Half the defectors we process have similar backgrounds.

“Very well. I’ll review his file and determine the appropriate approach.” I reach for my tablet, ready to dismiss him. “When can you have him transferred to my facility?”

“This afternoon. But there’s something else you should know about our guest.” Vex pauses, and I can feel his attention fixed on me like a blade. “He was the handler assigned to that Rossewyn witch—Lila, I believe. Twenty years of direct contact with one of the most powerful bloodlines in existence.”

I stiffen.

“Lila Rossewyn?” My voice is suddenly hoarse. “Her handler?”

“Yes.” He nods. “Hargen Cole. He was the—”

The tablet slips from my fingers.

Hargen.

For a moment that stretches like eternity, I can’t breathe. Can’t gather my thoughts. Can’t do anything but stare at Vex while my carefully constructed world spins wildly.

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