Evelyn kept the barrier raised while she reported the rear exit through her earpiece. Kael tried to shift his weight off the pallet, but his ankle gave under him. He caught the wood before he fell, holding the account book against his chest.“Stay there,” Evelyn said. “My people are coming.”Marcus began edging toward the open loading door. Evelyn turned just enough to see him, without taking the device away from the aisle Silas had used.“Sit down, Marcus,” she said.“I need a doctor,” he replied.“Then you'll wait for one here,” Evelyn said. “Keep your hands away from your pockets.”Marcus stopped beside the wall. For a moment, Kael thought he might run anyway. Then a vehicle pulled into the yard, and Marcus lowered himself onto an overturned crate.Two people entered wearing dark jackets, with identification clipped where it could be seen. One took charge of Marcus while the other checked the office. Evelyn lowered her device only after they had covered both ends of the warehouse.

Kael turned the glass toward the light, but the face did not return. The fragment had cooled against his palm, leaving him with no way to tell whether it had shown the vessel as it was now or as it had been years ago.He wanted to push a little power into it and see what answered. His core held barely enough to sense the lines beneath its surface. Spending that last trace would leave him unable to examine anything else, and he still did not know who had placed the glass beneath Ethan's bed.Kael wrapped it again and set it beside the hospital envelope. When Elena came to check on him, he had put both on the table and was lying back against the pillows.“Better?” she asked.“Better lying down,” Kael replied.She adjusted the blanket over his legs without asking him to move. He waited until she left before closing his eyes. This time, he slept.Evelyn called the following morning while he was finishing the breakfast Elena had brought him. She asked about his ankle first, then whether he

Kael pushed his chair back and stood before Maya finished catching her breath. Pain ran through his ankle, but he kept his hand against the table until he could put weight on it.“Where's Mom?” he asked.“Here,” Maya replied. “They pushed her against the counter. She's awake. She tried to stop them.”Evelyn was already moving toward the door with the phone in her hand. Helen reached for the desk telephone and called the protection team while Kael followed Evelyn into the corridor.“Lock the door and stay together,” Evelyn said. “We're coming.”Kael could hear Elena in the background, telling Maya to move away from the window. It was enough to keep him walking instead of trying to take the stairs faster than his body allowed.In the car, Evelyn called the team herself. A man answered after several rings, his voice strained.“Tell me how they got past you,” she said.Kael listened as Evelyn put the call on speaker. The men in hospital uniforms had claimed they were collecting Thomas for

Kael enlarged the photograph until the words filled Evelyn's screen. There was nothing beneath the description to explain how the seller had obtained the item or why it had been called a heart.“It could mean several things,” he said. “I need to see it.”Evelyn took the phone when he offered it back. “The sale is tomorrow night,” she replied. “Getting inside will take more than showing them my identification.”Kael looked toward the rear room. Elena was adjusting the cushion beneath Thomas's leg while Maya collected the empty plates. His father had begun to feel his foot again, but he still needed help moving it.“I'm not leaving them with the same arrangements,” Kael said.“Neither am I,” Evelyn replied. “I'll speak with the director before we plan anything else.”She stayed long enough to go through the changes with Elena and Thomas. One officer would remain inside with their permission, while another watched the approach to the shop. Calls about appointments or deliveries would be c

Kael looked toward the door Gideon had indicated. The attendant beside it kept one hand near the handle, waiting for an instruction, while the buyers watched from their seats.“What happens to the relic if I win?” Kael asked.Gideon's expression changed slightly. He had watched Kael favor his ankle and accept a chair during the argument. He seemed to have expected another reason why the test should not take place.“The house recognizes the stronger claim,” Gideon replied.“That isn't what I asked,” Kael said. “Does ownership pass to me?”The owner moved closer to the covered stand. Beneath it, the dark object continued beating at a steady pace. He glanced toward Gideon before answering.“A settlement can be recorded,” the owner said. “Provided both parties agree to the terms.”“Then record this,” Kael replied. “If I win, every claim the Vale family and this house hold over the relic transfers to me. No further payment. No second opponent.”Evelyn turned toward him. “Ethan, you don't h