The briefing room was quieter than usual.
Alistair stood at the head of the table, a map spread out in front of him. The map showed the eastern coast, dotted with markers—some red, some blue, a few black. The red ones were Ashen Guard outposts. The blue ones were neutral zones. The black ones were places no one went anymore.
Lucian sat on one side, Cora on the other. Mason and Sera and Derek had been sent to other briefings, other assignments. The war was spreading, and Alistair was spreading his people thin.
Margie sat at the end of the table. She wasn't in uniform—she was still Grey Hunter support, not field combat. But she was there, her hands flat on the wood, her eyes on the map.
Alistair spoke.
"We have a tip. The pendant—the one Voss stole, the one Valentine used to rally his coalition—was hidden before she was captured. Not on her. Not with her crew. Somewhere else."
Cora leaned forward. "Where?"
