Chapter 66: The Queen’s Choice
The moment the heavy door slammed shut behind Julian, the room snapped into motion like a living beast awakened. Dust stirred, lights flickered, and the steady hum of electricity seemed to spike in volume. Time compressed into heartbeats, sharp and uneven.
Cambria moved without hesitation. Her arms wrapped instinctively around her son, pulling him close, his small body warm and fragile against hers. His wide eyes blinked up at her, innocent and unaware of the war raging beyond these walls. She was his shield now. No one else would touch him.
Maddox was already moving, crossing the room in long, determined strides to barricade the heavy door with anything sturdy he could find. His jaw was clenched, his eyes hard, betraying a storm of frustration beneath his cold exterior.
Julian sank to the floor near the far wall, breathing ragged and shallow. A thin trickle of blood seeped from a jagged cut above his eyebrow, staining his temple a deep crimson. His legs trembled as he pressed himself against the cold concrete.
"They have snipers positioned on every rooftop," he gasped, voice raw with exhaustion. "Drones, too. Thermal and infrared. They’re pulling out all the stops. This isn’t just a raid anymore... this is an execution."
Cambria’s heart pounded fiercely as adrenaline sharpened her senses. The safe house, their sanctuary, was no longer secure. Blackwood had found them, and this time, he wasn’t playing chess; he was flipping the board.
Her mind raced, calculating every option, every exit, every choke point. She could feel the weight of history pressing on her, the years of betrayal, loss, and fight distilled into this single moment. There was no room for fear.
Maddox turned away from the door, his voice low but fierce. "We have ten, maybe fifteen minutes before they breach the perimeter."
Cambria’s eyes searched Julian’s face. "Where is the extraction team? Where are our backups?"
Julian coughed harshly, clutching his side. "Intercepted. Blackwood anticipated the call. Our comms have been compromised. We’re blind."
A curse slipped from Maddox’s lips, dark and sharp as a knife. "He’s forcing us to run. Again."