Few minutes later
The cetery gate lood out of the darkness like a ribcage, iron bars rusted and bent, the gate itself hanging half off its hinges. Beyond it, headstones stretched into the gloom like crooked teeth.
Ashen Dawn arrived as a unit—Cora in front, Mason at her right shoulder, Sera on her left, Derek bringing up the rear. They moved fast but quiet, boots barely crunching on the gravel path. The town was behind them now, swallowed by trees and silence.
Cora held up a hand.
They stopped.
Twenty feet ahead, two figures stepped out from behind the gate’s stone pillar. Twins. Sa height, sa lean build, sa bored expression. One had a short sword drawn, the other a pair of curved daggers. They didn’t look surprised to see the team. They looked like they’d been waiting.
"Evening," the first twin said. His na was Kai. His voice was light, almost friendly. "Bit late for a stroll, isn’t it?"
The second twin, Finn, twirled a dagger in his hand. "Cetery’s closed. Co back tomorrow. Leave a flower."
Cora didn’t smile. "We’re here on official Ashen Guard business. Step aside."
Kai raised an eyebrow. "Official? You don’t look official. You look like kids who lost their way."
Finn snorted. "Lost their way and wandered into sothing they don’t understand."
Mason took a step forward. The air around his gauntlets shimred, heat waves distorting the space between his fingers. "You have five seconds to move."
Kai’s smile faded. He looked at Finn. Finn looked back. The humor drained from both their faces at the sa ti, replaced by sothing colder. They shifted their stances, feet wider, centers lower. Hands tightened on weapons.
Kai spoke again, but the friendliness was gone. "Here’s the thing, kid. We’re not moving. And you’re not going through. So why don’t you save us all a headache and turn around?"
Sera raised her crossbow, bolt already loaded, the tip aid at Kai’s chest. "I’ve got a better idea. You step aside, or I put a hole in you and step over."
Finn laughed. It was sharp, ugly. "She’s got fire. I like her."
"Shut up," Cora snapped. She looked past the twins toward the crypt. Sowhere in that darkness, Lucian was waiting. And sowhere below, a monster was hiding. Every second they spent arguing was a second the Glimrtongue could escape—or worse, Voss could grab it first.
She made a decision.
"Last warning," she said. "Move. Now."
Kai’s answer was to raise his short sword.
Mason didn’t wait. He lunged forward, gauntlet blazing, and threw a punch at Kai’s chest. Kai sidestepped, the heat wave grazing his jacket, and countered with a slash. Mason caught the blade with his gauntlet—tal screeched—and shoved. Kai stumbled back.
Finn darted toward Sera. She fired. He twisted, the bolt grazing his shoulder, and kept coming. His dagger slashed at her crossbow. She dropped back, dodging, but he was fast—too fast for a normal human.
Sera’s blood sense flared. She could feel his pulse, his heat, the wound on his shoulder bleeding. She used it to predict his next move, ducking under his second slash and kicking his knee. He grunted but didn’t fall. He was tough.
Derek raised his staff. Ghostly tendrils coiled around the wood, and two spectral shapes shot out—Dr. Blackwood and another shade—slamming into Finn’s chest. He flew back five feet, hit a headstone, and rolled.
Kai saw his brother go down and snarled. He disengaged from Mason and lunged at Derek. Cora phased in front of him, her short sword eting his. Sparks flew.
"I said," she gritted, pushing against his blade, "move."
Kai’s eyes widened. He hadn’t seen her phase. He hadn’t expected her to appear out of thin air. That mont of hesitation was all Cora needed. She twisted her wrist, disard him, and kicked his legs out from under him.
He landed hard on his back.
Finn was already getting up, blood dripping from his shoulder, face twisted with pain and rage. Mason grabbed him by the collar and slamd him against the gate.
"Stay down," Mason said. His voice was calm. His gauntlets were hot enough to singe fabric.
Finn spat. "You’re making a mistake."
"We’ll take that risk," Cora said.
She knelt next to Kai, picked up his sword, and tossed it into the bushes. "Where’s Voss?"
Kai laughed, breathless. "You think I’m telling you anything?"
"I think you’re outnumbered, disard, and your brother is bleeding," Cora said. "So yes, I think you’re telling ."
Kai looked at Finn. Finn looked at the ground.
"Crypt," Kai muttered. "She went into the crypt."
Cora stood. She looked at the team. Sera was reloading her crossbow. Mason still had Finn pinned. Derek was breathing hard, ghosts still swirling around his staff.
"Tie them up," Cora said. "We’re going in."
Mason pulled a zip-tie from his belt—standard issue for hunter captures—and secured Finn’s wrists behind his back. Derek did the sa for Kai. The twins glared but didn’t resist.
Sera walked to the gate and peered into the cetery. "It’s dark. Really dark."
"We have Lucian inside," Cora said. "He’s our light."
She touched her earpiece. "Lucian. We’re at the gate. Twins are down. Voss is in the crypt. Where are you?"
Static. Then Lucian’s voice, low and calm. "North side. There’s a hole in the back wall. I’ve set traps on the main entrance. Co around—don’t go through the front."
Cora turned to the team. "You heard him. North side. Move."
They left the twins tied to the gate and slipped into the cetery, disappearing between the headstones.
Behind them, Kai watched them go. He didn’t struggle. He just smiled.
"Kids," he muttered. "They never learn."
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