The interrogations began at dawn, conducted quietly in a chamber far from the main dungeons — no chains, no visible urgency, just Ethan and two of his most trusted officers speaking with each guard who'd had access to the lower cells in the past month.
I watched the third interview through a narrow observation slit, arms crossed, trying to read guilt or innocence in the set of a stranger's shoulders the way Darius seemed able to do without effort.
"Anything?" I asked when Ethan finally stepped out, rubbing his eyes.
"Nothing obvious. No one's lying about their whereabouts — or if they are, they're better at it than any guard has a right to be." He leaned against the wall beside me. "But there's a pattern. Three of the four guards on rotation the night Aeric disappeared requested that specific shift. Volunteered for it, actually, when it's usually the least desirable post in the palace."
"Coincidence?"
