POV: Jake

“Say it again,” I said. “Slowly.”

Elara the mystic didn’t look at me. She was tightening the leather straps on her gauntlets, fingers moving with sharp, practiced efficiency. Her jaw was locked, her shoulders rigid, like if she stopped moving for even a second, everything would collapse.

“Kael and Lyra are already past the veil,” she said. “The Dead Lands swallowed the trail an hour ago.”

The words landed really hard. “That means they need our help”

No, they ...