Then she moved down the line and killed the rest of them.

One by one.

Efficiently.

By the time she finished, the clearing was silent except for the crackling of dying fires and the distant call of birds returning to the trees.

Vera cleaned her blade again and sheathed it. She looked at her squad, who stood watching with varying expressions of discomfort and approval.

“Burn the bodies,” she ordered.

“Scatter the ashes. I want no trace of this camp left.”

“Yes, Captain,” Senna said quietly.

Vera activated her coms.

“Report,” the voice said.

“Camp neutralized,” Vera said.

“Forty-three eliminated. No survivors.”

“And Hale?”

“Still at large. But we have a new lead: a safe house in the old quarter.”

“Follow it. Find him. The Overseer wants the resistance leadership eliminated before the Conclave next month. We can’t have dissidents disrupting the ceremonies.”

“Understood,” Vera said.

“And Captain? No more delays. Use whatever methods are necessary. The Council has authorized full discretion.”

“Acknowledged.”

The comms crackled off.

Vera lowered her arm and looked around the clearing one last time. Blood soaked into the ground. Bodies lay scattered like discarded dolls.

This was necessary work. Unpleasant, but necessary.

The resistance didn’t understand what they were fighting against. They thought the Council was corrupt and that it hid the truth for selfish reasons. But the truth was so much more complicated than that.

The world was fragile. The balance that kept civilization functioning was delicate. And sometimes, to maintain that balance, hard choices had to be made. Secrets had to be kept. People had to disappear.

It wasn’t about good or evil.

It was about survival.

That’s what they told themselves; otherwise, they would trip on the fake guilt.

Vera had joined the Council’s shadow forces because she understood this. Because she was willing to do what others wouldn’t. Someone had to be strong enough to carry the weight of necessary evils.

Someone had to keep the darkness at bay.

Even if it meant becoming part of that darkness herself.

Within an hour, the clearing was empty. The bodies burned. The ashes scattered. The tents were reduced to charred scraps. By tomorrow, the forest would begin reclaiming the space. Within a week, there would be no sign that forty-three people had lived and died here.

They would simply be gone. Another group of dissidents who’d learned too much and paid the price.

Vera’s squad moved through the forest like shadows, heading back toward the city. They had a new target now.

A safe house to raid.

More resistance members to eliminate.

And somewhere out there, Dane Hale was still alive.

But not for much longer.

*

Kate’s office occupied the northeast corner of the twenty-eighth floor of Maeridian Tower. Floor-to-ceiling windows offered a sweeping view of Kharsen’s skyline and the ocean beyond. On clear days, she could see all the way to the horizon. Today, gray clouds obscured everything beyond a few miles.

Appropriate, she thought. Her mood matched the weather.

Martha had left that morning for Kreeshan Valley. Kate had driven her to the airport before dawn, helped her load equipment bags, and kissed her goodbye at the departure gate. It was a familiar ritual, one they’d performed dozens of times over the years.

But it never got easier.

Now Kate sat at her desk, surrounded by quarterly reports and supply chain analyses, trying to focus on work. Trying not to calculate how many days until Martha would return.

Eight weeks, possibly ten.

Too long.

“Kate?”

She looked up to find Aubrey Vargas standing in her doorway.

Aubrey was the CEO of Ardan Motors, a woman in her late fifties with silver hair and the kind of presence that made people stand straighter when she entered a room.

“Aubrey. Sorry, I was distracted.”

“So I see.”

Aubrey entered and closed the door behind her. She sat in one of the chairs across from Kate’s desk. “How is Martha?”

“Already gone. Her flight left at six this morning.”

“Another one of the digging tours?”

“For the next two months, yes.”

Aubrey nodded sympathetically. “Long-distance partnerships are difficult. I remember when Allison was doing her residency. Three years of barely seeing each other. I thought we wouldn’t make it.”

“But you did.”

“We did, though I wouldn’t recommend it as a relationship strategy.”

Aubrey’s expression shifted from sympathetic to businesslike. “I came to talk to you about the board meeting next week. Callahan is making moves.”

Kate set down her pen and gave Aubrey her full attention.

“What kind of moves?”

“She’s been meeting with council members privately. Building support for her own succession plan. She wants the CEO position, Kate, and she’s willing to play politics to get it.”

“We knew that already.”

“Yes, but her approach is getting more aggressive. She’s suggesting that my decision to groom you as my successor is based on personal favoritism rather than merit, that you’re talented but inexperienced in the areas that matter most for executive leadership.”

Kate felt anger flash through her, but she kept her expression neutral.

“And what do you think?”

“I think she’s full of shit,” Aubrey said bluntly.

“You’ve turned around three underperforming divisions in the last four years. You’ve negotiated contracts that saved the company tens of millions. You understand operations better than anyone else in senior leadership, including me. But Callahan has connections. Her aunt sits on the Witch Council. That carries weight with some board members.”

“So what do I do?”

“Keep doing what you’re doing. Deliver results. Make yourself indispensable.”

Aubrey stood. “And prepare a presentation for the board meeting. Show them the numbers. Make them see that you’re not just my protégé; you’re the best candidate for the job on your own merits.”

After Aubrey left, Kate tried to return to her reports.

But her mind kept drifting.

Martha was gone.

Callahan was scheming.

The board meeting loomed.

Everything felt precarious, like she was balancing on a knife’s edge.

Her phone buzzed, a text from Martha: Landed safely. About to board the connector flight to Greenrave. Miss you already.

Kate smiled despite herself. She typed back: Miss you too. Be safe. Call me tonight.

She set the phone down and finally forced herself to focus on work.

The reports wouldn’t review themselves.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep