Ki lost track of how long she stared numbly at the Vault doors, unmoving and shrouded in silence. No tears came to her eyes, only a cold feeling of emptiness surfaced. She didn’t know how long she remained that way before Ti hauled her to her feet.

  She jerked free, turning her spear against Ti. “Don’t lay a finger on me!” she snapped. Anger burned away the cold, and finally, tears rose to her eyes. Despite her trembling, she fixed Ti with the sharpest glare she could muster. “You didn’t try to stop him, you don’t even care! He… he was right. You are hiding something from us!”

  Ti stared down at her, as cold and impassive as ever. Not even a hint of regret crossed her face. “You’re upset,” she said.

  “Of course I’m upset!” Ki cried, floundering helplessly for the words to express her frustration. Her thoughts came back blank, filled only with the overwhelming emotion of fear. Fear that coiled tightly around her heart, anger that left crescent marks beneath her nails when her fists clenched, and sadness marked by the trails of her tears as they streaked across her cheeks.

  “He can’t come back, can he?”

  Even before she asked, she knew the answer. Though the Master had never said what lay in store behind the Vault doors, she had a feeling. The only person who could return from the Vault was the Master himself. That was what her instincts said, and she feared they were right.

  Ti seemed puzzled by the question, evident by the slight tilt in her head. “Who can’t come back, Ki?”

  Ki inhaled sharply, flinching away from Ti on instinct. She drew her spear close to her body, holding the shaft across herself like a shield. Her brows drew together and her grip tightened until her fingers grew sore. “Don’t tell me you could forget so quickly,” she breathed. “Na. Na who went inside the Vault! I want to know where he went and if he’ll be able to come back!”

  Ti hummed to herself in thought as she shifted her gaze to the Vault behind Ki. With a shrug, she rested the blunt end of her staff against the floor and spun around to face the Chamber again. “Of course he will. He’ll be back soon. Stop worrying and return to your post, we still have work to do.”

  Ki’s relief never broke past her growing suspicion. Mistrust left a bitter taste in her mouth, paired with the sickening feeling of nausea. All the while, her thoughts circled her regret. She should have taken Na’s hand.

  She should have gone with him.

  Swallowing, she returned to her post. Maybe she was worrying over nothing. Maybe Na really would return and tell her what he had discovered. Maybe there were no secrets, no lies. Maybe she knew all she needed to know.

  She kept her gaze locked on Ti’s back, searching it for some hint of honesty. As always, Ti was as unreadable as a wall. 

  Ki pressed her lips together and lifted the head of her spear, cradling the weapon in her arms like some kind of safety line.

  Please be safe, Na. And come back soon.

  The Chamber fell into a lull of inactivity. Without Na, Ki found it harder to focus on her task. Her mind wandered more than usual, often bringing up the image of his face and the pain in his expression. Of the hurt in his eyes when she refused to go with him. To her credit, there were no intruders during the time she was disconnected. Ti never said a word either. She didn’t even spare a glance, nor did she fidget. As always, she stood rigid in her post, alert and vigilantly aware of everything in the Chamber.

  Ki couldn’t fathom why she and Na were even necessary if Ti was so capable of the job herself.

  Maybe that was why she was so quick to let Na go. Perhaps she would be encouraging in outburst in Ki soon as well.

  And yet, she had seemed so confident that Na would return soon.

  Ki rested her back against the Vault doors, sliding into a sitting position with her knees against her chest. She leaned her head back and stared up at the void of the Chamber. More than anything, she wished for something to tell how much time had passed. How long had Na been gone already? How long before he came back? If Ti’s judgement was to be trusted.

  And if he never came back, what would Ki do then?

  The cool metal of her spear felt heavier in her hand. Slowly, her eyes drifted to the Vault door behind her.

  If she went inside, would Na be there?

  The doors were too thick to hear inside, and no movement could be seen under the door, but a slight tug in her chest prompted her to stay near the door. As if Na was right on the other side of it.

  “It’s difficult to guard something from the floor, you know.”

Ki jolted, scrambling to her feet as her heart leapt to her throat. When she lifted her head, she gasped in surprise and lifted her spear.