The transformation institute was quiet when Bryn called them.
It was late evening, the scholars had gone home, the volunteers were asleep in their quarters. Only a single lamp burned in Bryn's private laboratory, casting long shadows across the glass vials and leather-bound journals that covered every surface. The air smelled of herbs and old parchment, and something else—something electric, like the air before a storm.
Seren arrived with Aeron, Kael, and Theron. The bond hummed with curiosity and apprehension. Bryn did not summon them lightly. She was not one for dramatics, for late-night meetings, for the kind of urgency that pulled kings and queens from their chambers.
"You found something?" Seren said. Not sounding like a question.
Bryn looked up. Her face was pale, her eyes bright with exhaustion and excitement. Dark circles shadowed her eyes, and her hair was escaping its braid. She had clearly not slept in days.
"I found everything."
