The substation wore afternoon like a coat it hadn't asked for. Light came through the window at the angle that makes dust visible and regret easier to inventory. Arden sat at the table with her ledger open, left hand resting on the page, pinkie crooked, the other four fingers holding the pen like they were learning the job from scratch.
She wrote: Nine children extracted. Conductor engaged. Shard compromised but operational as disinformation tool.
Beneath that: Cost left pinkie fine motor. Signature affected. Knife work uncertain.
She flexed the hand. Tested grip. The fingers that worked compensated for the one that didn't, but compensation was just another word for weakness wearing a clever disguise.
Kael entered without knocking because knocking would have implied the door had ever been closed to him. He set a mug of something hot and bitter in front of her and didn't call it coffee because that would be lying.
"Drink," he said.
