Down below the mountain, floodlights cut through the red-tinted mist as teams of guards and drones worked across the shore. The sea below the castle was restless, black waves crashing against the metal cranes hauling up what remained of the wreck.
The black hovercar looked unrecognizable at first—half its shell torn off, edges crumpled and fused from heat. But it was still whole enough for anyone to tell it had once been a premium military-grade model. The kind of machine that only belonged to someone who had loads of money.
A group of vampire engineers and guards crowded around it, muttering. "The power core's dead," one said. "Interior's fried."
"Get the drones to sweep the seabed," another ordered. "If there's anything left, I want it before the current takes it."
Above, a few searchlights roamed the water while sonar units dived under.
