The harbor office smelled of damp wood, overturned furniture, and something far colder.
Kael stepped inside first, his hand instinctively reaching for the knife strapped beneath his coat. Aria followed close behind, her fingers brushing his back as though anchoring herself in the storm. Jonah stayed at the door, watching the fog for signs of movement.
The room was a wreck.
Cabinets ripped open. Ledgers scattered across the floor. Maps torn down. Even the old harbor radio lay smashed, wires spilling out like veins.
Someone hadn’t searched the place.
Someone had destroyed it.
Kael crouched near the broken desk and lifted a soaked piece of paper. It was the corner of a logbookhis ownburned around the edges as if someone had tried to torch it before rushing out.
Aria scanned the room ne
