Lord Aurelius stood in his study, hands clasped behind his back as he surveyed the four people before him. Dawn was still hours away, but sleep had become an impossibility the moment Soren Wynstros had spoken the words "bomb" and "Gauntlet Trials" in the same sentence.
Captain Vael stood by the window, his countenance unreadable as always. Captain Syf leaned against the bookshelf, arms folded, her sharp eyes already calculating. Marcus sat in one of the chairs, still dressed in the clothes he'd thrown on when the summons came. And Caden stood near the fireplace, his jaw tight with something that might have been worry or anger—Lord Aurelius couldn't quite tell.
"We have less than a day," Lord Aurelius said, breaking the silence. "The Trials begin tomorrow at first light. If Soren's information is accurate, the Unbound have already planted two bombs in the Arena."
"And if it's not accurate?" Syf asked. Her voice was calm, but there was an edge to it. "If this is a trap, we'll be walking our people right into it."