The morning dawned over Winter's Crown with an unsettling stillness. The court was in chaos following Fenwick's arrest, but Damien knew this was only the beginning. Calder's remaining allies—Lady Calista and Baron Mertens—were still in play, and their influence threatened to unravel the fragile stability he had worked so hard to maintain.
Damien stood in the war room of Blackmere, his steel-gray eyes scanning a newly updated map detailing key locations of Calder's network. Amara leaned against the table, her sharp blue eyes glinting as she studied the names marked on the parchment.
"Calista and Mertens are running scared," she said, smirking faintly. "But scared people are dangerous. They'll act fast to cover their tracks."
"Exactly," Damien replied. "Which is why we need to act faster. If they think we're closing in, they'll destroy any evidence that could link them to Calder."