The female knight stormed forward with heavy, angry steps that echoed like war drums across the dimly lit hall. Her armor gleamed under the flickering torchlight, but it was the dark-veined fragment clutched in her gauntleted fist that seized every ounce of Liam's attention.
She thrust the pulsing piece of vein right in front of his face—and Patrick's. Liam's heart slammed against his ribs. 'Oh no. If she realizes I'm one of the exiles—'
Cold sweat prickled along his spine as he stared at the corrupted tissue. He *needed* that vein. At any cost.
The knight tucked the gruesome sample into the gap in her chestplate with a decisive motion. "Was this the monster you fought?" Her voice was sharp, demanding.
Liam forced a steady nod. "Yes. It had a dark aura coating it… and veins like that."
She considered his words, then her expression tightened. "Makes sense for a monster using dark energy, but…"
