Morning brought a grim discovery. General Thorne, whom Soren had spared, was found dead near the perimeter. He hadn't been killed by the Legion; his throat had been torn out by something with claws.
But in his dead hand, he clutched a scrap of parchment. It was a map of the Summit Keep's ventilation system, marked with a single word in Thorne's blood: REDEEMED.
"It's a trap," Silas spat, looking at the map.
Mika closed his eyes, touching the parchment. Through his resonance, he felt the lingering trace of Thorne's regret. "No," Mika whispered. "It's real. He died trying to give us a way in."
The New Ally
From the treeline, a small, lithe figure emerged. It was a young Highland scout named Jax. He held his hands up, showing he was unarmed. "I saw what Vane did to Thorne. I saw what he's doing to the Omegas in the Keep—he's sacrificing them to fuel Morrigan's shadows. I'll lead you through the vents. I want Vane dead more than you do."