Whisper of Thoughts
I shouted over the roar of the collapsing facility.
"We don't need a path," Julian said, grabbing my hand. His eyes were clear—no ghosts, no Architect, just Julian. The Shadow Council’s final squad rounded the corner of the exhaust tunnel, their weapons raised.
"Jump!"
We leaped. For a second, the world was weightless. The stars spun, the fire behind us turned into a blinding streak of orange, and then—the impact.
The freezing water knocked the wind from my lungs, pulling us deep into the dark, churning current. We fought the river’s rage, kicking toward the jagged rocks of the opposite bank until our fingers clawed into the wet, freezing dirt.