The Thorne family estate sat three hours outside the capital by carriage. Gareth watched familiar landscape pass through the window, his analytical mind cataloging changes since his last visit. Rolling hills showed early spring growth. Farmland displayed efficient crop rotation. Stone walls marked property boundaries with geometric precision that spoke to generations of careful planning.
Everything about the Thorne holdings reflected the family's nature organized, efficient, calculated for maximum productivity with minimal waste.
But Gareth's mind kept drifting back to the rift. To three days of survival that had tested every analytical framework he'd developed. To the bodies he'd cataloged with clinical detachment because emotional processing would have compromised tactical effectiveness.
