Chapter 10 - Echoes from the South
The peace of the newly reformed academy was broken three weeks later by the arrival of a battered courier bird bearing a lead-weighted capsule from the southern provinces.
Wyn was in the upper loft of the stable row, meticulously oiling Kestrel’s harness leather, when Kalen climbed the wooden stairs two at a time, his boots clattering loudly against the steps. He held an unrolled cipher scroll in his hand, his face etched with a grim, tight line.
“Trouble in the southern ports,” Kalen said without preamble, handing the scroll to Wyn.
She set the oil rag down on the workbench and unrolled the thin sheet of parchment. The ink was spattered and hurried, bearing the seal of the southern maritime garrison.
“Remnants of Reev’s syndicate active in port cities. Smuggling refined dragon-scale extracts through merchant galleys. Local magistrates compromised.”
Wyn traced the words with her thumb. The network hadn’t died with Reev’s arrest; it had simply retreated underground, slipping away into the coastal shadows where the academy’s direct authority couldn't reach.
“They’re trying to rebuild the supply chain,” Wyn said, her voice dropping into a quiet, cold register. “If they get enough refined scale-extract, they can manufacture illicit control-serums. They’re trying to breed compliant, artificial bonds.”
Kalen crossed his arms, staring out the high loft window toward the southern horizon. “The high council wants to send a regiment of royal inquisitors. Standard military sweep. Burn the warehouses, lock up the docks, let the local lords sort out the mess.”
“A military sweep won’t work,” Wyn said, shaking her head. “If they panic the smugglers, the syndicates will dump the chemical agents into the harbor, poisoning the entire coastline for a generation.”
She turned away from the workbench. Below them in the central enclosure, Kestrel shifted his massive weight, his head rising slowly as if he had caught a foul scent carried on the wind from thousands of miles away.
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“Then what do we do?” Kalen asked, looking at her with absolute trust.
Wyn picked up her heavy riding cloak from the wooden peg. “We don't send an army, Kalen. We send a warning they can’t hide from.”
