The report arrived before dawn.
Lord Valcor read it once.
Then again.
Then he placed it carefully on the table in front of him.
No anger.
No raised voice.
Which made the air in the room far more dangerous.
“They failed.”
Seraphine stood across from him, her posture straight, her expression controlled.
“They encountered resistance.”
His gaze lifted slowly.
“You sent my best assassins.”
Her jaw tightened.
“They were trained for precision, not open conflict.”
“They were sent to kill.”
The silence that followed was sharp enough to cut.
Seraphine did not look away.
“The target was protected.”
Lord Valcor leaned back slightly in his chair.
“Protected,” he repeated.
Not disbelief.
Assessment.
“The land has already begun to respond,” she added. “Even during the eclipse, there
