KAEL
No one said a word when I left the office. The quiet pressed in around me, thick and watchful, like the walls themselves were listening. I moved down the hall without looking back. I didn’t need to. I already knew someone would follow.
A few minutes later, steady footsteps fell in behind me.
Torin caught up and matched my stride, close enough that I could feel his presence without turning my head.
“Don’t you have someone else to spy for you?” I asked, keeping my voice even.
“Not spying,” he said. Casual. Too casual. “There’s something brewing between your people and mine. I figured we should check it before it turns into something bigger.”
Something brewing. I slowed a fraction, frowning. “My people don’t start skirmishes.”
“Neither do mine,” Torin replied. “That’s what makes
