C38 The Net Tightens

The study was quiet, save for the ticking of the longcase clock. Ethan stood at the window again, one hand braced against the sill, watching the sweep of lanterns across the grounds. The guards moved in pairs, precise in their rotations, every path covered, every angle calculated.

It should have comforted him. It didn’t.

“Scar is already inside,” Ethan murmured to himself