Chapter 54

William arrives at the Lounge with Nick and immediately recognizes Bree, though he carefully calls her condition “knowledge loss” rather than memory loss. Bree identifies William as Gawain’s Scion, a healer, and her friend, then accepts his hug. The reunion briefly steadies Bree before Bree tells William that Nora has explained what happened to the abducted Rootcrafter girls.

William explains that Bree’s request through Valec let William and Lark reach the Institute quickly. Because human Vassal guards there still obey Gabriel’s authority, Lark and William pretended to be moving Gabriel’s “guests,” which gained William access to the girls. Lark also used cambion speed to search the laboratories, after stealing Gabriel’s helicopter and later a minivan to get everyone to the Crossroads.

Lark shows Bree, Nick, and Valec photos from the labs: equipment, notes, unlabeled vials, and vials marked “BM.” William identifies the labels as Bree’s blood and concludes that Gabriel’s faction is experimenting with Bree’s blood alongside the blood of active Rootcrafters. William reasons that the Order may be trying to replicate, isolate, or neutralize Bree’s unprecedented power because the Council cannot find or control Bree directly. Bree blames herself for leaving, but Nick and Valec argue that the Order had already stored Bree’s blood and has long harmed people with rogue magic.

Bree decides the immediate priority is recovering her missing loved ones. Valec examines Bree with his broker power, first finding her mark, Bloodcraft, root, and traces of the Spell of Eternity, but also sensing that something is missing. A deeper examination horrifies Valec: he says Bree has not merely lost memories but has fractured her soul.

Valec explains that brokers cannot normally tamper with souls and that, according to legend, even a demon cannot remove part of a living person’s soul unless the bearer offers it. Mariah realizes the issue is tied to Bree burning her ancestral stream. Valec concludes that when Bree willingly burned the stream, Bree broke off part of her soul and left it vulnerable for Erebus to take; Bree insists she did not know that her soul was connected to her ancestors and loved ones.

Valec’s anger escalates as Valec says Bree gave away something priceless, a soul powerful enough to kill and die for. Nick steps between Bree and Valec, aether sparking, and forces Valec to walk away before a fight erupts. Bree follows, desperate for Valec to fix the damage, but Valec says he cannot promise the stolen fragment still exists and warns Bree to prepare for the possibility that it cannot be recovered.