Ethan found Colonel Graves in the temporary command center set up in the south wing. The room that had once served as a quiet guest lounge now looked like the nerve center of a battlefield. Large monitors covered one wall, each replaying grainy surveillance footage from different angles of the assault. Radios crackled constantly, and several Council operatives moved between tables covered with maps and digital tablets.
Colonel Graves stood near the central screen with his arms folded behind his back, studying the footage with the cold focus of a career soldier.
He looked up the moment Ethan stepped into the room.
“Lord Blackwood,” Graves said, straightening slightly as he acknowledged him, his tone professional but steady. “We’ve completed the full sweep,” he added calmly. “The manor is
