Page 245 of Elemental Becoming

A shadow crosses Garrick’s face. “The few we have interrogated all described the same thing.”

Something in his tone makes my stomach tighten.

“Loyalty is rewarded.”

“And betrayal?” I ask.

No one answers immediately. Then Thane speaks.

“A slow, gruesome death.”

The words slice like a blade.

“And if that isn’t enough, they come after your family. Parents. Siblings. Children.” He runs a hand through his hair. “Once someone swears loyalty to the Shadowed Hand, there is no leaving. The consequences are made very clear.”

I stare at him.

“So they stay.”

“They stay,” Valen confirms.

“Most captured members of the Shadowed Hand never make it to interrogation,” Garrick says grimly. “They carry poison capsules hidden in their mouths. The moment they believe they’ve been compromised, they bite down.”

A chill runs through me.

“We’ve learned to watch for it,” Garrick continues. “The instant one is captured, we secure their jaw and insert a bite stick to keep them from closing their teeth. Then healers put them to sleep while the capsule is removed.”

“And if they succeed?” I ask quietly.

Garrick’s expression darkens. “They die.”

“Many choose that over risking what happens to the people they love,” Sienna says softly.

I sit back in my chair, trying to reconcile the stories I’d grown up with against everything I’d learned today.

An ancient enemy.

A secret network operating in the shadows.

Centuries of planning.

The Shadowed Hand weren’t just spies or assassins.

They were believers. Fanatics. People willing to die before speaking a single name.

The sheer scale of it feels impossible to comprehend.

Rowena leans forward, resting her forearms on the table. “Then we know what we’re dealing with.”

Several heads turn toward her.

“The Shadowed Hand is dangerous. They’re patient. They’re ruthless.” Her gaze sweeps across the council. “But we’ve spent the last hour talking about who they are and what they’ve done.”

Her eyes flick briefly to mine.

“What matters now is what we’re going to do about it.”

A murmur of agreement moves around the table.