>>Draegon
The ballroom noise faded behind me as I walked toward the enormous window set into the western wall of the palace—an arch of black stone framing the night like a painting. Stars glittered cold and sharp above the horizon, and below us, the silver gardens glowed under the moonlight.
King Orin stood there already, hands clasped behind his back, posture straight with human regality. He didn't turn when I approached, but I felt his attention shift, felt the sharpness of his thoughts like frost on steel.
I stepped beside him.
"May I ask what the matter is?," I said. "You said it was urgent."
"Yes, we've got a problem."He wasted no time. "And we feel like it's going to get out of hand soon."
"What is it?" I asked
"We've had disappearances. Across three provinces in the past month. People keep going missing without a trace."
I raised a brow. "Who?"
"Citizens with magic. Mostly untrained, some not even registered in the archives. The pattern was clear only recently."
