Taboo Online

The Queen’s hand moved slowly across the silver bark.

Then Thalen begins learning your commands today. My Thornmenders will examine every living object you recover. If you find one of the four who escaped, I am notified before the site is cleared or the body is moved, unless someone is still in immediate danger.

The senior official looked toward Red Hound. "You cannot surrender control of evidence collection."

"I’m not surrendering it," Red Hound said. "I’m promising notification before we clear a scene. That does not interfere with rescue operations or immediate security."

Aelira accepted the distinction without pretending it settled anything larger.

They had not decided the elves’ legal status, the future of North Basin, or who would control access to the Heartroot once the emergency ended. They had agreed on something more immediate: the Bureau would not investigate the people who destroyed Lethariel while keeping its survivors ignorant.

Both sides now understood the terms of the hunt.

Rhea tested her remaining panel in a cleared lane beyond the medical shelters.

Her first attempt produced only a brief spike on the Bureau technician’s mana monitor. The air in front of her remained empty.

She lowered her arm and waited until her breathing settled.

"Again?" the technician asked.

"Yes."

The next attempt created a thin blue outline, but it collapsed before the surface became solid.

Rhea stood quietly for several seconds. She adjusted her feet, raised one hand again, and concentrated without forcing more mana through the damaged ability.

A single panel formed in front of her.

It was smaller than the shields she had used in Lethariel. A bright scar crossed one corner where an earlier impact had damaged it, and the surface flickered whenever Rhea shifted her weight.

The technician lifted a padded launcher. "Low-impact test?"

Rhea kept her attention on the panel. "Send it."

A weighted foam cylinder fired across the lane.

Instead of widening the shield or meeting the projectile head-on, Rhea moved the panel several feet to one side. She angled it at the last moment.

The cylinder struck, changed direction, and rolled harmlessly across the grass.

The panel remained intact.

Rhea released a slow breath.

Red Hound approached from the containment area. "Can you move it that quickly a second time?"

"I don’t know yet."

"Could it stop the kind of impact that destroyed the others?"

"No."

The answer came without hesitation.

Rhea dismissed the panel before its flickering worsened. "I can’t build another wall with one damaged shield. Plan around that."

"Then don’t try to rebuild the wall," Red Hound said. "Use it to turn one attack that matters."

Rhea considered that, then nodded. "I can work with that."

Luke watched from his wheelchair beside the lane. Lauren sat next to him on a folding chair, close enough that their knees touched. Their restored resonance remained faint, but he felt her attention sharpen whenever Rhea’s mana rose.

A call from Dr. Shaw reached Luke’s medical monitor.

"Kellan’s spasms are decreasing," Shaw reported. "He still cannot bear weight safely. Dorian has regained partial grip strength in both hands, but neither forearm is cleared for combat. Iris is awake and responsive. The involuntary lifeline manifestations have slowed, though she remains under observation."

Luke looked toward Red Hound. "So none of them are joining the next operation."

"Correct."

He did not ask when they would catch up or suggest that they could contribute despite the injuries.

"Tell them what we found."

"I already did," Shaw replied. "Kellan expressed his opinion of the Ruinborn, the tunnel, and our medical restrictions in language I will not repeat over an open channel."

Luke almost smiled.

That sounded enough like Kellan to ease some of the pressure in his chest.

The containment alarm sounded while the technicians were preparing to move the needle into a shielded transport case.

Everyone near the table stepped back.

The needle had begun pulsing inside its cylinder. No threads emerged, but the living filament sealed within the metal contracted in a steady rhythm.

The Bureau analyst from the tunnel hurried toward the monitor.

"It’s transmitting again."

Red Hound joined her. "Same receiver?"

"Yes, but the signal is stronger."

A municipal map appeared. Riverside Pumping Station Four flashed red beside the river, followed by three traffic-camera feeds from the surrounding roads.

Two cargo vans stood inside the fenced property. A flatbed truck had backed against the loading bay, and several people were carrying long metal cases from the station toward its bed.

The footage was less than thirty seconds old.

"They know the tunnel relay failed," Luke said.

"Or the needle told them it had been captured," Lauren added.

The analyst enlarged the loading-bay image. "At least six people are on site. I don’t have a clear view of any of the four elites."

The senior official’s phone rang.

He stepped away, spoke in a low voice, then returned with his expression set.

"Emergency authorization has been approved for a temporary Ruinborn task group. Limited duration, Bureau command, and full evidence review after every operation."

Red Hound looked toward Aelira.

Lauren carried the authorization through the Heartroot.

The Queen answered with a short pulse.

Bring back what they stole.

Red Hound began issuing orders.

"Advance teams establish the perimeter without entering the station. No sirens within six blocks. Evidence personnel prepare for living corruption. Rhea joins field protection if her medical readings remain stable."

His attention moved to Luke and Lauren.

"You two return to Shaw for assessment. If he clears you, you work from the armored command vehicle. If he does not, you remain here and receive the feed."

The objection rose automatically in Luke’s chest.

He looked down at his right hand. The fingers still refused to close, and the sling carried most of the arm’s weight.

The objection stayed unspoken.

"All right."

Lauren turned slightly toward him. A quiet warmth passed through their weakened bond.

Red Hound checked the time on the traffic feed.

"The flatbed will be loaded in twenty minutes. We move in five."

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