The castle seemed unusually quiet as Kade walked the corridors, his thoughts swirling like a storm. The Syndicate's presence was growing harder to ignore, and the hooded figure Selyna and Elvara had encountered weighed heavily on his mind.
"Who are these people, and why now?"
he thought, pausing at a window that overlooked the courtyard.
"It's like every time we take a step forward, another shadow blocks the way."
A faint knock at the door of the war chamber pulled him from his thoughts. Vask entered, his crimson eyes scanning the room before settling on Kade.
'My lord, reports from the outlying villages have arrived,'
Vask said, placing a stack of parchment on the table.
'More disappearances. Entire families gone without a trace.'
Kade frowned, running a hand through his hair.
'The Syndicate again?'
he asked.
Vask nodded.
