– Whispers

ling a flicker of something he h

behind him, Captain Raleigh d

d for his p

A line only used when the

er a pause. "We've go

en Raleigh's voice d

m on his side. But if he gets to

cold corridors of District 7, una

None made eye contact. A few stared a

y's gray wash of morning. Fog hugged the ground like sec

nsactions. D

Space. A place t

didn't ha

t an

stood staring at

mayor, half the council, and every high-ranking of

s one thing Zi

ame was in th

-up" operations from years back. Ghost files. Deleted names. Bribes

good. That someone had to keep order. Tha

threatened to u

k drawer. Inside it la

e front in red: ZIO

ck on t

said, masking

pped in. "You still

y. No contact. If he tries t

d. "And if he

s narrowed. "Th

e of Okholm's older districts. Zion moved like a man on

ows. He watched as Zion entered an old cathedral-t

utes

she a

ghos

ath caught i

sn't a myth. She was real. Wrapped in a silver coat, h

ion's chest. Spoke to him.

omething deeper. Older. As if they had known e

os. Stepped back

led out

firmed. He m

next. Zion's already gone too

ne. Watched the couple

t just about

had buried years ago. And it was c

Lyra. "I think th

n we don't run. We make t

reath shallow. He found Lyra-still, poised, her back turned. The light

" he sai

didn't

"I had to. Raleigh ne

e tu

calm like fog on wa

ou w

voice low. "He needed to know what was

sharp, slicing the quie

buried Antwon, that burned my name from the reco

"He said he could

"You thought you could hand the truth to someone

chest rising and

t corruption. Not just names. It was the blueprint for everythi

yra... I didn't mean

risk," she said bitterly

an still fix this. We can act

back, calmer

don't fix betraya

. "I didn't

betrayed

ng, thicker th

t him, stopping

fight for the truth, you

ne-vanished into shadows, leaving beh

in the empty cath

n what he thou

he had t

t to

mbrella, soaked to the bone, but numb to the cold. His feet took him back-t

he would come. He onl

the altar, placed in a

y h

e center, palms

ispered. "I kno

h the rafters. Cold. Sc

rust someone... anyone. I thought if I p

nce an

was w

d up, voic

Antwon died for. I thought I was protecting

s echoed b

tur

was

till uncertain. Her ey

lowly, hand

ve me. But I'm not walking awa

stared

t we're fighting for. And b

assed. Long.

he walke

emption, Zion... d

. "Tell me

"We take it all down. The mayor. Raleigh. Ev

after

ntly. "Then you

into the candle

city down if it means

e softened j

t's start