The two of them got to work on the electronic lock. A minute later, I heard the bolt slide back. It seemed incredibly loud in the quiet tunnel.

Torran pulled the door open and then froze in the doorway. “Lights,” he said telepathically.

I relayed the news to my team, then peeked around the doorframe. Sure enough, far in the distance, a doorway set into the wall spilled light into the tunnel.

And there was exactly zero cover between us and it.

Beyond the light, another doorway across the tunnel blocked the view. I glanced back the way we’d come. The bunker was perhaps three hundred meters behind us, which meant we weren’t even halfway to the palace.

Without access to the blueprint, there was no way to know what was behind the door—or why it needed a light. But if I were designing a bunker to protect myself from an invading force, I’d put strongholds along it where soldiers could set up defensive positions.

Torran must’ve decided the same thing, because he sped up until I had to jog to keep up. We were still ten meters from the door when it opened, sending more light into the tunnel.

Torran came to a silent halt, and I narrowly avoided crashing into his back.

“I’ll check it,” a man grumbled loudly in Common. “You lazy bastards keep sitting on your asses,” he continued quietly to himself.

The man stepped out into the tunnel wearing the type of body armor preferred by FHP soldiers, but without a helmet. Plas rifles were relatively quiet, but this close to the door, a single shot would bring everyone else. Still, if we didn’t shoot him, he’d raise the alarm.

I brought my rifle up but before I could draw a bead on him, his head twisted a different direction than his body. When the body gently lowered to the ground, I realized what had happened.

I swallowed, glad that Torran was on our side.

“Kee, can you get me visuals on that room?” I asked.

She pulled out her slate and tapped on it for a few moments. “No, not unless I can find a hardline connection. There’s no wireless network here.”

So going in blind was it. “Plan?” I asked Torran.

“Same as before. Clear each room and find Cien. I can’t sense any of the humans even from here, so there’s at least a Valoff or two inside.”

“Are we going to cause a war if we kill them?”

Torran shook his head. “They’ve sided with the enemy.”

I updated my team and we moved closer to the door. I could feel Torran heavier in my mind, and I wondered if he’d increased my shielding, but there was no time to ask.