"SHOW ME", Grayson ordered Oliver.
Oliver held out the crystal with trembling hands, and even from several feet away, Mailah could see the damage. What should have been clear and pristine was now blackened, with spiderweb cracks spreading across its surface like veins of darkness.
The air around it seemed to shimmer with residual energy—not the protective hum of functioning wards, but something wrong.
Grayson took the crystal carefully, his expression growing darker with each second of examination. "This is one of the perimeter ward anchors. It shouldn't be possible to burn these from inside the estate unless—"
"Elin," Mailah breathed, the realization hitting her.
Their eyes met, and she saw her own sudden panic reflected in his face. In all the chaos of the night—the Market, Elara, Mason's warnings—they'd completely forgotten about the traumatized young woman they'd left sleeping peacefully in the guest wing.
"Elin," Grayson confirmed, already moving.
