"I heard from Beatrice," he said. "She showed me the ledger."
Lucien nodded. "And?"
"The handwriting matches High Lord Feran's steward—Gregor. He's the only one with both access and reason to use Petra's resources discreetly." Samuel handed him another sheet of paper. "And this is a note intercepted from one of the outgoing pigeon carriers."
Lucien read it.
'By the eclipse, the northern gates will be breached. Our ally inside Petra confirms silence on their end. The heir will be dealt with last.'
Lucien folded the paper slowly, veins tightening.
"'The heir'... That's me," he said coldly.
Samuel remained quiet.
"We don't have time. This is no longer sabotage. It's a prelude to war."
A knock echoed softly at the door.
It creaked open, and Liora peeked in, her expression hesitant.
"Should I come back later?"
Lucien gestured her in. "You're already part of this now. You might as well hear everything."
Liora walked closer, glancing at the map. "What's Caldrien?"
