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"It's fine."

One of the investigators notices. "Keep moving."

I do. But something bothers me. Not the bed. Everything. The first disappearance happened alone.

The second, isolated. Third. Fourth. Theryn. Patterns. Conditions. We spent months trying to figure out what made someone vulnerable. Where they were.

Whether they were separated. Whether wards weakened first. Whether they had magic worth taking. Whether they were watched. I look back toward Tavian's room. They didn't need him alone.

Maybe they never did.

"Eirea." Lena.

I turn. "Coming." We continue.

At ten thirty, I find Nyra in the old strategy room.

Cassian has covered half the table in records.

Again. I walk in. "Tell me the conditions of the first disappearance."

Nyra looks up. "What?"

"First."

She thinks. "Alone."

"Second."

"Mostly isolated."

"Third—"

"Why?"

"Just answer."

She does. We move through all of them. Location. Time. Ward status. Witnesses. Distance from others. Every condition we thought mattered.

Then Tavian. Shared room. Active internal wards.

Two people nearby. No warning.

Cassian understands first. His face changes. "No."

Nyra looks at him. "What."

I sit back. "They were learning." Silence.

Nyra frowns. "Learning what?"

"Us." The word feels horrible. "The first ones were easy." I say. "Isolated." Cassian slowly nods. "Then progressively harder. Security increased after every disappearance." Nyra looks between us. "Response Quarters. Patrols. Room changes. Buddy systems. Dragon monitoring. Wards." I feel cold.

"And they kept taking people." Cassian says.

"Yes."

"Each time despite whatever we changed."