Mercer began watching Orlen with the same careful patience he'd once applied to investigating Hale, noting small details across the following weeks that individually meant nothing but together began forming an uncomfortable picture.
Orlen never consulted senior officers before making tactical decisions, yet his choices consistently proved correct with a confidence that seemed to come from somewhere beyond simple training. He referenced historical precedents from council sessions that had occurred before he'd joined the watch, details he shouldn't have known unless he'd studied records far more thoroughly than his junior rank typically required. And once, during a routine conversation about harbor security, he'd mentioned a merchant's name that Mercer recognized only because Isla had brief
