Valthera froze. She stared down at her trembling hands for a long moment, her expression turning cold but Clara could see the trouble in her eyes. She refused to say a word about the dark, agonizing nightmare that had just haunted her mind.Slowly, Valthera forced herself to stand up, turning her back to Clara so her face couldn't be seen. "We don't have time for dreams, Clara," Valthera said, her voice snapping back into a hard, rigid tone. "Move."She checked her weapon and marched toward the next door, burying her secrets back into the dark as they prepared to face the final cars of the train.They bypassed the ruined guard quarters of the previous section and sprinted to the very front of the roaring train. With a synchronized kick, Valthera and Clara breached the heavy door to Car Four. This was the locomotive's main command center, and it was a massive, high-tech hub of glowing machinery.The curved metallic walls were completely covered in modern computer monitors, radar scre

Valthera kept her hand near her holster, her eyes narrowing as she glared at the man. "What is the meaning of this?""The obsidian Syndicate does not wait for a payment. They simply take the entire empire as collateral."The Lieutenant stepped closer to Valthera and Clara. He stopped just a few feet away, his hand resting casually and confidently on the hilt of his blade."The old world is completely gone, Keepers," the Lieutenant said, his voice echoing off the high ceiling. "The pathetic rulers who built this table were weak, cowardly, and driven entirely by greed. They are the past.""You two, however... you are different. You survived our absolute best shadow hunters. You fought your way through the train, and you successfully killed Deathshade himself. You possess real, undeniable value to our organization."He paused, his masked face turning slowly from Valthera to Clara, letting the heavy weight of the surrounding arrows sink into their minds."So, here is the only promise and

Up ahead, the tattooed gang leader was sitting comfortably in first place, nearing the halfway point. He glanced into his rearview mirror, expecting to see his boys. Instead, he saw Clara's headlights rapidly closing the distance. His eyes widened in disbelief. "What the hell?" he muttered, violently spinning his steering wheel to weave across the road. He did everything he could to block her from passing.But Clara was too fast and too skilled. She timed the leader's movement perfectly. As he swung left to cut her off, she sharply jerked her wheel to the right, finding a tiny, impossible gap along the concrete barrier. She floor-boarded the throttle, her rusty metal side-mirror scraping against his door in a shower of bright yellow sparks. With a roar of triumph, she blew right past him, taking the lead.She sped toward the entrance of the massive, pitch-black abandoned mountain tunnel. But instead of turning around to complete the race loop, Clara suddenly pulled her handbrake hard

It was Commander Desmond. He was a notorious high-ranking official, and the junior officers always had major problems with him because of his massive ego and harsh attitude. Henry and Ashley immediately stopped their whispering and stood up straight as he got closer."Welcome, sir," they said in unison, saluting."I am Commander Desmond," the large man introduced himself, looking around at the ruins with his hands on his hips. "I was officially placed in charge of this special task force case this morning.""Welcome, sir," Henry repeated smoothly. "As you can see, the bodies are—""I know exactly what this is," Desmond interrupted loudly, scoffing. "This is the work of the Obsidian Syndicate."Ashley and Henry exchanged a confused, alarmed look. "The who?" Ashley asked."The Obsidian Syndicate," Commander Desmond barked, puffing out his chest. "They are a rogue faction, deadlier than anything you have ever seen before in this city. But I promise you, under my strict, expert leadersh

Clara stood there, completely frozen by his words. She knew he was right about the danger, but the alternative of being a slave to the Syndicate forever was unbearable. Without another word, she grabbed the dead guard by his heavy tactical boots. With a strained breath, she dragged the heavy body down the concrete floor toward the back of the facility, where the massive, roaring furnaces incinerated the syndicate's evidence. She threw the corpse into the flames, watching the fire consume the remains until nothing was left but old ash.Later that night, the lights of a crowded downtown bar buzzed loudly. Henry sat at a small wooden table, looking around the noisy room with discomfort.He adjusted his collar, leaning over the table toward Ashley, who sat across from him in civilian clothes."I swear, half of these people in here are not even up to eighteen years old," Henry muttered, his cop instincts refusing to turn off.Ashley let out a soft laugh, reaching across the table to gentl