Alistair had been looking for Kai for three days.

Not openly—that would have alerted the wrong people. But quietly, through channels that didn’t leave traces. The rogue twin had slipped through the Ashen Guard’s fingers after the Millfield mission, and Alistair didn’t believe in coincidences. If Kai was back, he wanted something. And Alistair intended to find out what before anyone else did.

He found him in the old cemetery behind the Keep.

It was past midnight, the moon hidden behind clouds, the headstones grey and patient. Kai stood by a mausoleum, his hands in his pockets, his pale eyes watching Alistair approach. He didn’t look hostile. He didn’t look afraid. He looked tired.

"You’re hard to find," Alistair said.

"I wasn’t hiding."

"You weren’t exactly advertising."

Kai’s lips twitched. "Fair."

Alistair stopped a few feet away. Close enough to strike, far enough to give the rogue room. He didn’t know if this was a trap. But he’d survived enough traps to trust his instincts, and his instincts said Kai wasn’t here to fight.

"You broke custody," Alistair said. "That’s a serious crime."

"I know."

"Voss is in a high-security prison. Her crew is scattered. You’re alone."

"I know that too."

"Then why are you here?"

Kai was quiet for a moment. He looked at the mausoleum, at the iron door, at the name carved above it—a hunter who had died decades ago, forgotten by everyone but the stones.

"Voss told me to find you," he said. "If she got caught. She said you’d listen."

Alistair’s jaw tightened. "Listen to what?"

Kai reached into his jacket. Alistair’s hand moved to his blade, but Kai didn’t draw a weapon. He pulled out a folded piece of paper, worn at the edges, and held it out.

"This."

Alistair took it. Unfolded it. The paper was covered in cramped handwriting—Voss’s, he recognized the jagged letters. The words were brief, direct, and cold.

The pendant wasn’t just a pendant. It’s a key. To a vault. Old things inside. Older than the Veil. Valentine wants it. Don’t let him have it.

Alistair looked up. "What vault?"

"I don’t know. Voss didn’t tell me everything. She never did." Kai’s voice was quiet, almost reluctant. "But she said the things inside—the artifacts—they belonged to ancient beings. Not human. Not demon. Something else. Something that was here before the First Crossers."

Alistair’s mind raced. Old Bloods? The races Derek had found in the library? Or something even older?

"The pendant," he said. "Where is it?"

"I don’t know that either. Voss had it. She hid it somewhere before the mission. She didn’t trust anyone with its location." Kai paused. "But she told me something else. Something I’m supposed to tell you. A secret."

Alistair waited.

"Valentine is planning to tear down the Veil."

The words hung in the cold air.

"He’s been gathering allies," Kai continued. "Demons, yes. But others too. Rogues. Mercenaries, beastkins, witches. Even some of the otherworlders who remember the old wars. He’s been promising them power. Territory. A place in the new world he’s building."

Alistair’s hand tightened on the paper. "The Veil has stood for centuries. It can’t just be torn down."

"It can be weakened. Cracks. Fault lines. And every time the Veil weakens, things slip through. Things that remember how to break things." Kai’s voice was grim. "Valentine doesn’t want to destroy the Veil. He wants to control it. Make it his. Use it to turn Earth into a hub—a crossroads between worlds."

"A demon prince ruling the Veil."

"Worse. A demon prince with an army of supernatural allies, free to move between realms while humans are trapped in ignorance." Kai took a step back. "Voss found out about his plan before the Millfield job. That’s why she wanted the pendant. Not for money—for leverage. She thought she could trade it to the Guard for protection."

"But she got caught."

"She got caught," Kai agreed. "And now the pendant is missing. And Valentine is still out there, gathering his forces."

The clouds shifted. Moonlight fell across the cemetery, painting the headstones silver.

"Why are you telling me this?" Alistair asked. "You’re a rogue. Voss is in prison. You could have disappeared. Gone underground. Never looked back."

Kai’s expression flickered. Something raw, almost painful, crossed his face.

"Because Voss wasn’t lying about everything," he said. "She did bad things. I won’t pretend otherwise. But she wasn’t a monster. And Valentine—" He stopped. Swallowed. "Valentine killed people I cared about. Before the Millfield job. Before any of this. He’s been playing a long game, and most of us were just pieces on his board."

He met Alistair’s eyes.

"I don’t want to be a piece anymore."

---

Ashen Keep – Alistair’s Office – The Next Morning

Lucian sat across from Alistair, his face calm, his hands resting on his knees. He’d been summoned before dawn, pulled from the training yard without explanation. The look on Alistair’s face told him this wasn’t about the tournament.

"The pendant," Alistair said. "The one Voss claimed you took."

Lucian’s jaw tightened. "I told you. I don’t have it."

"I believe you."

Lucian blinked. "You do?"

Alistair leaned back in his chair. "Someone spoke to me last night. Someone who knows Voss. They told me things. About the pendant. About Valentine. About what’s coming."

Lucian waited.

"The pendant is a key," Alistair continued. "To a vault. Inside that vault are artifacts from beings older than the Veil. If Valentine gets his hands on them—"

"He’ll use them to tear down the Veil."

Alistair’s eyes narrowed. "How did you know that?"

Lucian didn’t answer. He’d heard fragments, whispers, pieces of a puzzle he hadn’t put together until now. The shadowy figure. The Old Blood texts. Voss’s cryptic words in the cave.

"I didn’t," he said. "But it makes sense. Valentine has been patient. Too patient. He’s not just trying to get Margie back. He’s building something."

Alistair studied him for a long moment. Then he nodded.

"The pendant is still out there. Voss hid it before the Millfield mission. We need to find it before Valentine does."

"A new investigation."

"A quiet one. Off the books." Alistair’s voice was low. "The Council has its own agenda. I don’t trust them with this. Not yet."

Lucian understood. "What do you need from me?"

"Keep training. Keep your team focused on the tournament. But keep your eyes open. If you see anything—anything—that might lead to the pendant, you tell me. No heroics. No solo missions."

"And your source?"

Alistair shook his head. "Not my secret to share."

Lucian didn’t push.

He stood, walked to the door, and paused.

"Alistair."

"Yes?"

"If the Veil falls—"

"It won’t. Not while we’re standing."

Lucian nodded and left.

The hallway was empty, grey morning light filtering through the windows. He thought about Kai, about Voss, about the pendant hidden somewhere in the city. He thought about Valentine, gathering allies, planning a war.

The tournament was important.

But it wasn’t the real fight.

The real fight was coming.

And Ashen Dawn needed to be ready.