The message came in fragments.
That was the first wrong thing. Maren sent clean dispatches she had been doing it for two years across difficult terrain with unreliable channels and she had never once sent a fragment. Full information or nothing, that was how she operated, because a partial picture was more dangerous than no picture and she knew it better than anyone.
The first fragment said: *east district, Reya Soln's address, door open.*
The second said: *signs of—*
Then nothing.
Aelara read both on Vaelor's signal device and felt something cold move through her chest. She looked at Aldric, who was being escorted by the two guards toward the secure wing with the leather case and the man from the wall in tow. She looked at Caelum, who was reading her face.
"Maren's messages stopped," she said.
Caelum said: "How many guards went with her."
"Four."
"Route?"
"East district. Forty minutes out."
