She looked down at her shaking hands, her breath quickening again. Her entire body was trembling.

“Tonight, they came to me,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “They were angry—so angry—about the leaks. They said someone had to pay. That we had to make a statement, or we’d all go down.”

“Elara,” I said slowly, a cold dread pooling in my stomach. “What did they ask you to do?”

Her eyes lifted, wide and desperate, tears streaming freely now. “They said... they said I had ...