Cain scanned it. "Any sign of Susan or Steve?"
"They made it out before the collapse," Mara said. "Susan's ward shielded them. She burned a lot of energy, but she's upright. Steve's… well, Steve. Panicking with purpose."
A knot in Cain's chest loosened. He hadn't realized how tightly he'd been clenching around their fate.
Mara jabbed a thumb over her shoulder. "We regrouped in the reliquary chamber. The Fallen's envoy hasn't shown himself again, but the aura he left behind hasn't dissipated. And you're going to explain why he said your name."
Cain stiffened.
He'd hoped she wouldn't bring that up yet. Hope never stopped Mara.
She turned, boots crunching on debris as she led him down the fractured corridor. "He called you 'First-Born.' And unless you've been lying to us for years, that's not a title mortals just pick up."
Cain followed, stepping around shattered tiles without meeting her eyes. "He was taunting me."
"He was greeting you." Mara glanced back. "And he bowed."
