MAETHYS POV
The hallway outside Valik’s office smelled like ink, pine resin, and something faintly metallic. The offices had a way of feeling lived-in without ever feeling soft.
I lifted my hand to knock, then stopped.
The door was already cracked, light spilling through the gap. I could hear paper shifting, a chair scraping, the quiet grind of someone trying to make order out of chaos.
I pushed the door open.
Valik’s office was a disaster.
Not the kind that came from neglect—more like a storm had moved through and left behind evidence of purpose. Papers covered the desk, the floor, the chairs. Rolled maps leaned in the corner like they’d been abandoned mid-battle. A ledger sat open, ink smudged where someone had dragged their hand across it too fast. There was a half-empty mug near
