Chapter 44

Wren wakes in a barred, humid cell with a broken leg and meets Commander Vásquez, who decries the Continent’s godlessness and calls the Modified demonic, yet declares he won’t kill a “lowly sniper,” preferring to make Adrienne sweat before arranging release. He condemns Adrienne for violating parley terms by bringing unauthorized snipers and insists Tierra Fe will not be manipulated.

After a guard brings water, Wren contacts Adrienne via telepathy. Adrienne prepares a pickup with Evlynne on standby and warns that Gray is furious. Time passes until the cell camera’s red light goes dark and the same woman returns with food and a bundle.

With the camera off, Wren probes and learns the woman sensed her earlier mental touch. The woman kneels, places her hands on Wren’s shattered leg, and, revealing herself as Valeria Vásquez—Commander Vásquez’s daughter and a hidden healer Mod with a bloodmark under her tongue—quietly mends the bones. Valeria confirms her father doesn’t know.

Valeria says Tierra Fe won’t openly join Adrienne, but suggests she may persuade her father to “look the other way” at times—easing airspace and shipping restrictions as tensions with the Company rise. She wraps Wren’s leg, orders Wren to pretend she’s still in pain to protect her secret, and indicates release is imminent. Wren asks Valeria for a favor as a tentative alliance forms.