The drive back from the Northcastle Main Facility felt shorter than the trip out. Eric Maddox's mind was spinning with the data he had gathered from watching Victor Draken's senior squad.
The sun was setting, painting the sky in bruises of purple and orange, as he pulled through the familiar, rusted gates of the Rising Stars youth academy. The contrast was sharp. He had just left a kingdom of glass and steel, and now he was back in the trenches. But the trenches were where he felt most at home.
Stepping out of his car, Maddox saw a figure standing by the glass doors of the medical wing. It was a young boy, thin but wiry, wearing a plain tracksuit. Even from a distance, the mess of blonde hair was unmistakable.
Noah Perring.
As Maddox approached, the boy straightened his back. His eyes, usually bright with a playful intelligence, were wide with a mix of nerves and relief. He looked like a soldier who had finally reached a safe harbor after months behind enemy lines.
