All Chapters of Crescent Betrayal, The Ring That Remade Him: Chapter 31
- Chapter 34
34 chapters
The Blackbird
"She's lying." Ren's voice was weak but steady. He lay on a cot in the back of the safe house, his side wrapped in blood-soaked bandages, his face pale as ash. Mira was still working on him, her hands steady despite the tears streaking her cheeks. The bullet had gone deep, but it had missed anything vital. He would live. That was what mattered. Lincoln stood by the window, the ledger open in his hands. The black bird symbol stared up at him, cold and damning. Behind him, Kaela sat in a wooden chair, her sleeve still pulled back, the faded tattoo visible on her inner forearm. She wasn't hiding it anymore. She wasn't trying to. "It's not hers," Ren said again, struggling to sit up. "Kaela's not the traitor." "Lie down," Mira snapped, pressing him back. "You'll tear the stitches." "I don't care." Ren's eyes locked on Lincoln. "I know her. She's not Blackbird. She'd die
Last Updated : 2026-08-16
The Hangar
"Tell me about the war machine again." Orin looked up from the map spread across the floor. "You've already asked me three times." "Because I need to make sure you're not leaving anything out." Lincoln's voice was steady, but his hands were clenched at his sides. "This isn't like the other raids. The hangar is a fortress inside a fortress." Kaela knelt beside the map, tracing the route with her finger. "The service entrance is here, on the north side. Voss's codes will get us through the outer lock. After that, we're in the maintenance corridor. It runs the length of the hangar, all the way to the prototype bay." "And the defenses?" Ren asked. He was on his feet again, pale but upright, his side still wrapped in bandages. Mira had told him to stay behind. He had refused. "Automated sentry turrets every twenty meters," Kaela said. "Motion sensors. Pressure plates. An
Last Updated : 2026-08-16
The Wraith
"Stay with me, Ren. Look at my face. Do not close your eyes." Lincoln's hands were shaking, but his voice was steady. He pressed his palm against the wound in Ren's side, feeling the warm blood slick between his fingers. The boy's skin was pale, too pale, and his breath came in short, ragged bursts that frightened Lincoln more than any guard or machine ever had. "It hurts," Ren whispered. "It hurts so much." "I know. I know it does. But you're going to be fine. Mira, get me the med kit. Mira?" Silence. Lincoln turned his head and saw Mira slumped against the engineering console, her eyes closed, a thin trickle of blood running from her temple. She was alive, her chest rising and falling, but she was out cold. "Mira's down," Kaela called from the pilot's seat. "She took a hit during the escape. I think it's a concussion." "Then it's just us." Lin
Last Updated : 2026-08-17
The Citadel
The ship was dead, but they were alive. Mira's hands were shaking as she worked on the auxiliary power coupling, her face pale beneath the blood and grime. The smell of salt water and scorched metal filled the cabin, mixing with the faint, coppery scent of Ren's blood. Lincoln watched her work, his body still aching from the crash, his mind already moving ahead to the next impossible step. "Talk to me," he said quietly. "The main core is fried," Mira replied without looking up. "But the auxiliary cells still have some juice. If I can reroute the power through the secondary conduits, I can get us enough thrust to hover just above the waves." "How long will that take?" "Ten minutes. Maybe fifteen." "We don't have fifteen." Kaela was at the cracked viewport, scanning the horizon. "The fortress's patrol ships will be here in less than five. They must have tracked
Last Updated : 2026-08-17