The Prime Zone was still dark when Holden returned.
He slipped through the front door and pulled off the gold mask, tucking it under his cloak. The Beast Gauntlet had done nothing to clear his head. His body felt fine.
But the hollow ache in his chest had only gotten worse.
Then he saw the light.
Maeve was still awake. She sat at the kitchen table with a candle burning beside her. Stacks of paper covered every inch of the surface. Notes. Reports. Handwritten documents with official seals.
She looked up when he entered.
Her eyes moved over him quickly. The torn cloak. The acid burns on his clothes.
She didn't ask where he'd been.
"You need to sit down," she said. "And you need to read this right now."
Holden frowned. He walked to the table and dropped into the chair across from her. "What is all this?"
