Lucien held his gaze on the bark long after the others fell into silence.
The thought arrived without drama.
The gargoyles claiming this world was never luck.
Veiling an entire planet was not something done for comfort. It was done for custody.
Maybe the gargoyle kings never knew what sat beneath their feet. Maybe they only knew the surface truth, that this world resisted miasma.
But Kharzun?
Lucien's eyes narrowed.
Maybe, only those with the highest authority in the Black Mass would know what to look for. Only they would understand the scent.
'They are collecting them.'
That conclusion was terrifying because it fit too well.
Then Lucien cut the thought off.
There was no proof.
He forced himself to breathe.
Speculation could become a prophecy if he let it.
Around them, the hollow world remained still.
