The old mill on the Serpent River was a skeleton of its former self, its great waterwheel rotten and still, choked with river weed. The air was thick with the smell of damp decay and the constant, rushing murmur of the water. It was a place of endings, not beginnings.
Elias Hale stood in the shadow of the crumbling structure, his senses stretched to their limit. He was alone, as per the instructions. But he knew Valen's team was nearby, hidden in the tree line across the river, their presence a ghostly pressure at the edge of his awareness. Finn was in his ear, a silent guardian angel.
"All quiet on the spectral plane," Finn's voice murmured through the nearly invisible bud. "Your heart rate is a little elevated, Specter. Breathe."
Elias forced a slow breath. This was the most dangerous part of the dance—the first meeting. Vorlan was a spider, and this derelict mill was his web.
