Chapter  355

XENOIS The smoke from Jerome's escape was still clearing when I heard my mother's voice cutting through the chaos with her typical running commentary. "Well, that was anticlimactic," she said, her voice slightly weaker than before but still carrying that distinctive Silvia Blackwood edge. "All that buildup and he just runs away? Where's the dramatic final confrontation? Where's the----" She coughed. A wet, rattling sound that made every nerve in my body stand on end. "Silvia?" my father said, his voice sharp with concern. My mother coughed again, and this time when she pulled her hand away from her mouth, it was covered in blood. "Oh," she said, staring at her palm with what seemed like mild curiosity. "That's not ideal." Then her eyes rolled back and she collapsed. My father caught her before she hit the ground, but barely. He was exhausted, injured, running on nothing but adrenaline and stubborn determination. "Silvia!" he shouted, lowering her carefully to the floor. "Silvia, stay w