A transport ship touched down with a soft thud, engines cycling down in metallic sighs. Lucas climbed out first, looking like he'd been wrestling with paperwork for hours—which, honestly, he had. His ceremonial robes were wrinkled beyond salvation, and there were dark circles under his eyes that spoke of too much information crammed into too little time.
Lyra followed, clutching her data pad like it contained the secrets of the universe. Which, considering what they'd discovered, it might actually.
Lucy emerged last, and Lucas couldn't help but notice the faint scorch marks on her sleeves and the satisfied smirk playing at the corners of her mouth. Whatever she'd been up to while he was buried in archives, it had involved significant amounts of electricity and probably some very expensive equipment.
"You owe me one, little brother," she said as they walked toward the palace.
