AISLYNThe delegation arrives under a sky bruised with cloud, their presence announced by the deep grind of stone against stone and the ripple of unease that spreads through Redmoon like a disturbed nest. I am already moving by the time guards' words finish compiling into meaning. Elliot strides beside me, pace clipped, expression carved into authority. My father follows a half-step behind, uninvited yet entirely certain he belongs.

That alone is dangerous.

We emerge onto the outer terrace where ...