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I heard shifting as a few seconds dragged past.

"It's like they were waiting for us," Rethlyn's voice finally carried from behind.

"They were on us in an instant, faster than any of us could even think," Vexa snarled. "And something was different this time. They didn’t respond to the shadows in the same way. Like being robbed of their breath was no longer a deterrent."

Her words sent daggers straight through me. That's what Laryk had meant when he said the Guard had a new strategy. I caught my balance on the railing beside Lael.

“The breathing tonics,” I whispered as I turned back to the room.

“What?” Vexa asked as all eyes fell upon me.

“Something that Sídhe was developing.” I swallowed hard, wanting to leave Ma out of it. “It’s how I was able to break out of your holds on the lawn in Emeraal.”

Everyone stared at me in silence. Everyone except for Aether, who kept his back to me as his shoulders rose and fell in ragged fashion.

“I guess they’ve been able to mass-produce them,” I said again, my eyes meeting the floor as guilt slammed through my chest. I stepped back a few feet.

“What do these tonics do?” Effie asked, her voice having dropped a few octaves.

“They allow one to go for much longer periods of time without needing to breathe.”

Realization washed over the group as the silence stretched on. No one moved, and Aether still never turned to look at me.

“Thank you for telling us,” he finally said, his voice so low I almost missed it.

A gurgling noise came from Lael, and I rushed back to his side, Aether trailing close behind. But he lay unchanged, his chest rising and falling slowly, a peaceful expression on his face which remained untouched by the damage.

"The medics don't know why he hasn't woken up yet," Effie's voice cracked.

"What do we do?" Something dark threaded through Aether's words.

I could practically hear the desperation churning in the air, mirroring the hollow dread that now filled my veins. But no one answered for a long moment.

"I don't know." Vexa's response was heavy with exhaustion.

"The scars..." Mira trailed off. "The medics aren't strong enough to erase them. Those types of burns..."

"Burns?" I gripped the bed frame as I stood, turning to face the room.

The others had shifted closer together. Effie perched on the edge of her bed while Theron held his head in his hands. Mira remained in her chair as Rethlyn stood, but Vexa now separated them from Aether, her fingers working anxiously at her weapon belt.

"They came at us with everything," Rethlyn said, drawing his arms up in submission. "But we saw the fire first."

The name formed in my mind before I could stop it.

An ex-team V member. A fire-wielder. And a bigoted asshole.

Baelor Soleil.

"Lael lost control of his spectre form," Effie choked out. "He turned to run, to get back to the rip."

He had done just as Aether had instructed. My eyes blurred and I tried to blink away the tears, but it was to no avail, they already slid down my face. I returned my gaze to Lael as a sob threatened my chest. If we had been there…

"We carried him out, rushed back here." Vexa's voice cracked. "The entire thing was pointless and reckless. We didn't get any of the information we were sent to retrieve. We should have never gone. Urkin should have never made that call."

"We're having an emergency meeting. First thing in the morning." Aether shoved past them all, the door slamming behind him with enough force to rattle the glass. Silence fell as a few of them raced off after him. I wasn't sure who still remained in the room, if anyone. I could hear nothing apart from the steady sound of Lael's breathing.

I pulled a chair close to his bedside after a few moments. As I reached up to brush his hair back, my fingers caught on something. A leaf, vivid green against the white pillow.