The war room smelled of blood, ink, and burnt coffee.
Dawn hadn’t fully broken yet, but the table was already covered in maps, ward schematics, and a list of the dead. Seven rogues on the stone outside. Five unaccounted for.
Elara stood at the head of the table, arms crossed, the pact mark under her sleeve still faintly glowing. Darius was beside her, quiet, reading the reports twice. Kade and Ryn stood near the door, both patched up, both pretending they weren’t watching each other.
Mira sat with Aria and Elias at the far end. Aria was asleep, head on the table, Mira’s hand on her shoulder. Elias was awake but silent, staring at his hands.
“We don’t change the plan,” Kade said first. “We double the guard on the northeast line, rotate every 4 hours, and hunt the five that got away bef
