*ARC 2: THE SILENT REIGN*
"One Week After Meeting General Frost"
Emily stood in the university library, textbooks spread across her table, but her mind was elsewhere. Her phone buzzed for the third time in ten minutes.
All messages from Timothy.
Timothy: Can you come home early today?
Timothy: It's important.
Timothy: Please.
That last word made Emily's stomach tighten. Timothy Blackwood didn't say "please" often. Something was wrong.
She packed up her things quickly, texting Chai that she had to leave early, and headed for the parking lot where Jack was already waiting.
"Mrs. Blackwood," Jack greeted, opening the car door. His expression was carefully neutral, but Emily had learned to read the tension in his shoulders.
"What's happened?" Emily asked as soon as they pulled away from campus.
Jack's eyes met hers in the rearview mirror. "Mr. Blackwood's grandfather collapsed this morning. He's been transferred to the private wing of City General Hospital."
