Samuel arrived at training a full hour late, and the look on his face told Victor something had gone wrong before a single word left his mouth.
"The extraction team went in yesterday," Samuel said without preamble, cutting off whatever drill Nyx had been running the other three through. "Military-backed, full equipment, the works. The academy's been keeping it quiet."
"And?" Victor asked.
"They didn't find the Guardian."
The training yard went silent except for the distant sound of wind moving through the trees beyond the wall.
"Didn't find it how?" Seraphina asked carefully. "Dead? Gone? What?"
"No body. No remains. The chamber itself was intact, chains and throne exactly as your reports described, but whatever fought down there left no trace of who won." Samuel's jaw tightened. "They also didn't find any sign of the creature you described. The one with the red eyes."
"That's not necessarily good news," Victor said slowly.
"No. It isn't."
