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She clenched her eyes shut tightly at the memory.

“Please,”he’d whined.“Keep her away from me. Don’t let her break my skull.”

Emerie had already been informed of Sabrina’s intentions earlier from Wren. She’d also already made her decision.

She’d already been actioning her plans.

But his words... how urgent and panicked they were...His skull is significant.She didn’t know how, she didn’t know why – all she knew was that she couldn’t wait.

I should have just figured my shit out sooner.

But it was hard to break years of brainwashing, training, fear, and hatred. It was hard to go against everything she’d ever known, everything she’d ever learned, to do the right thing. Especially with a pest like Wren in her ear.

Tonight, she was going to free the Duskwalker.

Would she die? Probably!

Either the Duskwalker would take his anger out on her, or Wren would hang her for being a traitor while shoving him back in that dungeon. But she just couldn’t do this anymore.

She couldn’t sit idly by and allow this to keep happening.

Her life wasn’t precious. She wasn’t special.

Emerie didn’t deserve to cling to life so selfishly, not when she was the only person who could orwouldhelp.

Other than rope, I should have everything I need in my room.Really, the only thing she was taking with her was a water sack, her travel bag that held all her tools, a keystone obsidian blade to free him, and a bow she’d recently made out of boredom.

She had a sword and whip on her already, upgraded and given to her by Wren.I shouldn’t need much more than that.

However, she’d been fashioning something else last night after she made her decision. She thought she’d stolen enough rope to finish making it, but she’d fallen short by one long length.

If she wanted any hope of living past this day, she needed more.

Someone bumped into her in the hallway, but she didn’t pay them any notice. That was until they grabbed her wrist and tugged her back, forcing her scheming mind to the present.

“Emerie?” he asked, and she would know that voice anywhere.

Even though she was in her full uniform, she wasn’t wearing her face mask. It was obvious he’d been following her for quite some time, probably yelling at her, and she’d been too lost in thought to notice.

She ripped her arm from Bryce, but he held strong. “Let go of me,” she grated out.

He yanked her closer to allow room for those passing around them in the narrow hallway.

“You’ve been gone for six days,” he snapped through clenched teeth. “Where the fuck have you been?”

“Busy,” she answered.

It was funny, though. If it wasn’t for the Duskwalker, Emerie may have had a different reaction.

In the past six days, Bryce had barely been in her thoughts. Wren, the Duskwalker, all her sorrow and regret... she hadn’t had a single moment to spare over her breakup with him.

Had so much not been going on for her, had more important things not been weighing on her, Emerie probably would have bawled her eyes out for the last few nights. She would have wept, wondering if she’d made a mistake.

Other than when it happened, not a tear had formed for him.

But it had for the Duskwalker.

In the privacy of her room, whether it was her usual one or the one she’d been hidden away in, Emerie had cried for that creature. Cried for his pain, and the heavy burden of guilt that she had the biggest hand in capturing him.