The first incident was small enough to be dismissed.
But that was what made it dangerous.
Elias noticed at dusk.
He had returned to the greenhouse after being formally installed in the Royal Wing that morning. The relocation had been swift and quiet. His tools had already been moved. His workstation cleared.
It had been too fast.
He stepped into Greenhouse Four and paused.
The air felt wrong.
Not visibly so. The temperature was correct. Humidity okay. The glass panels intact. No sign of a break in.
But the ivy along the western trellis had curled inward.
Not naturally or in response to light. But like it was retreating.
Elias approached slowly.
His hands hovered near the leaves without touching.
The hum beneath his ribs remained steady. Cassian was in council again. Far — but not dangerously far. The faintness of the bond now was manageable. Dull. Like background noise.
Yet this was separate.
He brushed his fingers lightly over the soil.
Dry.
He frowned.
