The word remained on the page long after anyone spoke.
Missing.
Lexi had expected another title, another assignment, perhaps even a note recording retirement after years of service. Instead, the ledger simply ended, as though Adrian Merrow had stepped out of history without leaving behind any explanation for where he had gone. The absence felt more deliberate than any written account could have been, and for a moment no one seemed eager to disturb the silence that settled over the table.
Rowan turned back several pages, scanning earlier entries with the practiced patience of someone accustomed to searching for small inconsistencies, while Vaelor crossed the room toward another stack of ledgers waiting beside the tall windows. Dust floated through the shafts of afternoon light as he sele
