“Is that necessary?” Arryn asks as they begin to lead the way forward, heading down the left fork of the tunnel.

“Better safe than sorry,” Kael says. “If he wakes up, we don’t want to risk him escaping.”

Escaping.

He makes it sound like Ward is our prisoner.

Then again … until he’s no longer under Manning’s control, I guess he is.

“He won’t wake up unless Lyss or I make him,” Cami says quietly, as if she, too, caught the dark undertone of Kael’s words. “Or you, with your Destroyer ability.”

“I’ll be careful what I say around him, then,” Kael says.

I think he’s trying to lighten the atmosphere, but his attempt falls flat.

“Seriously, guys, it’s just a precaution,” Kael says, sensing our mood. “Just until he’s back to his old, priggish self. Okay?”

I don’t like the idea of Ward being in any kind of cell, but I know there’s wisdom in what Kael says—aside from the priggish comment, which was uncalled for—so I utter my quiet agreement. If all goes to plan, Ward will only be in there a couple of hours anyway, until I’ve recharged enough to be able to Speak properly again. Then Kael and I can figure out how to free him.

Upon reaching the large pillared meeting room, I’m surprised when we walk right into the center of the space and come to a halt. Arryn carefully releases Ward, leaving Kael to take on his whole weight, before she crouches to the ground and pulls open a trapdoor cut into the rocky floor.

There’s a short ladder leading downward, and I look at the limp form of Ward before saying, “Are you sure this is a good idea?”

“I never said it was a good idea,” Kael returns. “But it is the smart thing to do. There’s no safer place for him in the catacombs.”

“That’s assuming he doesn’t get brain damage while we try to get him down there,” I mutter to myself.

If I’m being honest, though, I’m grateful for the distraction as we maneuver Ward down the ladder, the four of us juggling his weight and trying to avoid giving him a concussion. It keeps me from dwelling on Riley’s words, on why he said what he said, on what he meant by it. I’d brush it off as crazy talk if not for the fact that he knows my name, if not for the look in his eyes.

Eyes that are the exact same shade of blue as mine.

“See, this isn’t so bad.”

I don’t know how, but we’ve managed to get Ward safely down the ladder and into the room beyond. When I glance around, I realize it’s … not what I expected.