The castle pulsed with activity as Kade paced in the war chamber, his thoughts swirling like the storm clouds gathering outside. Selyna's absence gnawed at him. Her mission to verify the Syndicate's outpost had sent her deep into enemy territory, and the longer the silence stretched, the more Kade felt the noose tightening.
"Maybe she's fine,"
he muttered, clenching his fists.
"Or maybe I'm just bad at convincing myself of that."
Vask entered silently, as he often did, his crimson eyes reflecting the flickering torchlight.
'You seem restless, my lord,'
he observed, his voice calm.
'I'd call it professional concern,'
Kade replied, gesturing toward the map on the table.
'We've got enemies multiplying like cockroaches, and one of my best operatives is out there without backup. So yeah, a little restless.'
Vask's lips twitched into a faint smirk.
