They left for the eastern territories on a Thursday.

Marina, Silvain, Lyra, and Sable. Sable had offered without being asked, and Marina had accepted without hesitation, because whatever was in the secondary archive had been left by the same bloodline that ran through Sable, and having her present felt like the right kind of preparation even if Marina could not fully articulate why.

Cian had wanted to come.

Marina had said no.

He had argued for four minutes with the specific persistence of someone who had earned the right to push back, and Marina had listened to all of it and held the position. The archive responded to five-frequency practitioners....