Chapter 50

Wren reels as Kallister confirms that Travis Redden initiated contact with the Uprising to remove his father, Merrick. The Authority unanimously approved a plan for Adrienne to use her corruption powers to destroy Merrick’s mind, with Travis facilitating access and agreeing to a hangar bombing as part of the deal.

Kallister frames the operation as a first step toward possible peace, though he admits skepticism while Adrienne remains hopeful she can sway Travis. He warns Wren that only the Authority knows and asks her to keep it quiet, appealing to the trust his brother placed in her.

Later, Wren meets Gray in the hangar and, without naming Kallister as her source, claims she saw Adrienne with Travis at the station. Gray cuts the comms, confirms internal disputes over Adrienne’s proposed mission, and concedes Travis has previously honored self-serving terms. They agree to pause the debate.

Flying at night to an undisclosed location, they land on a cliff above a turbulent ocean. Wren notices blue daggerstone embedded in the rocks and glimpses ruins—stone walls and a metal roof—surging in the surf. Gray identifies the site: the former Valterra Ridge.