r. The flickering fluorescent lights above cast long shadows, but the faces of the rebellion's members were sharply illuminate

Rowan, standing near the window with arms crossed, gave off an air o

teady but laced with wariness. She had agreed to me

"It's at the docks, under heavy guard. We believe he's storing something there-someth

up. "And you think I'm the

situation. "You know the city. You're familiar with how to move around it without d

t in this way. The memories of her family's death were still raw, and every inch of her wan

r me?" she asked

yes unwavering. "Valerian's downfall. If you want reven

mily's death, the reason she'd been hunting Valerian and his empire for so long,

stood. We work together on this, no more, no less. Ju

h, but she couldn't deny the fact that this mission-dangerous and twiste

e thoughts swirling in her mind made it difficult to focus. She couldn't shake the nagging feeling that aligning with Julian, Elena, and the others was a

ase had a strict rule: no unnecessary arrivals.

map in front of him as he explained the details of the upcoming raid. Elena had a serious expression, though her eyes remain

stronghold is here, near the old warehouses. It's the most heavily guarded section. We b

et in?" Cass

tside," Julian said. "You'l

rms, considering the pl

ea. There's a vault there. If we can get access, we'll l

get caught?" she aske

the outside. But the goal is to get in, get the i

n't foolproof, but it was the best option th

quick. The moment you're inside, it'll be hard to keep

ter around her shoulders as she moved

. The city was a maze of alleyways and hidden corners, a landscape she knew well. As they neared the doc

hard. This was no longer just a personal vendetta-it was a fight for survival. The rebellion wasn't just a

ra slipped into the shadows, her body