They worked through the night, Elena's trusted guards clearing the throne room of any witnesses while Logan, Elena, Kira, and Finnian began the careful task of searching for whatever lay concealed beneath the ancient stone floor.
"My mother's instruction was precise," Elena said, studying the throne itself carefully now. "Beneath the throne, specifically. Not simply somewhere within this chamber."
Logan examined the throne's heavy base, running his hands carefully along the stone foundation supporting it. His enhanced senses caught something subtle, a faint variation in density that ordinary examination might easily have missed.
"Here," he said, pressing carefully against a section near the throne's rear support. "This stone sits differently than the surrounding floor."
Finnian joined
