"Protecting you stopped being a duty a long time ago." He said and my heart tightened.
"What did it become?" I asked as his eyes held mine.
"Something I chose." He said.
For several seconds, the chaos around us seemed distant. Then another tremor shattered the moment and I turned toward the passage.
"Where is Vivienne?" I asked but nobody could answer.
Far above us, Vivienne stood alone inside a deserted corridor. Her hands shook as she pulled the stolen crystal fragment from beneath her cloak.
The piece of the Heart had changed.
The silver crystal now carried black veins that pulsed beneath its surface and Malakar's voice entered her mind.
"Take it deeper." He said.
Vivienne looked toward the stairway leading down.
"I don't know if I can do this." She said.
"You wanted the thro
