The escort left me at the outer edge of the bamboo grove. I crossed the last stretch of path alone. The detection formations Lydia had layered recognized me and parted without resistance. Inside the central pavilion the air felt tighter than when I had left.
They were already arranged for the report.
Lydia stood near the formation table, ink still fresh on a new set of diagrams. Seraphina sat with her back straight and her silver eyes half-lidded, reading residual traces the moment I entered. Vale had abandoned her usual lounge and stood near the window that faced the main compound. Elizabeth waited in the center of the room, hands folded, expression unreadable to anyone who did not know her.
I sealed the privacy formations myself before speaking.
