"We're not waiting for the Queen to come to us," Jackson said. His voice was quiet, but it carried through the room like a blade. "We're going to her."A murmur rippled through the group. James leaned forward, his brow furrowed. "Going to her? Jackson, we don't even know where she is.""We know where she'll be." Jackson's eyes moved to Sophia. "She'll come for the forgotten Hart. She'll come for Sophia."Sophia's face was pale, but she didn't look away. "I'll do it. If that's what it takes.""No." Jackson's voice was sharp. "We're not using anyone as bait."At the mention of the word "bait", Jason stepped forward, his voice calm but insistent. "Jackson, I understand your concern. But I have a plan—a plan that could work."Everyone turned to look at him."Use Sophia as bait," Jason said. "Lure the Queen to the Watcher's heart. Once she's there, we seal her inside permanently. It's the only way."The room fell silent.Then James stood up, his chair scraping against the floor. "Hold on.

The library was silent, save for the soft rustle of ancient pages.Andrew and Hailey sat at the massive oak table, surrounded by stacks of leather-bound books and rolled scrolls. The candles flickered, casting dancing shadows across the walls. Outside, the night pressed in, dark and full of secrets.Hailey's fingers traced the faded ink of an old text, her brow furrowed in concentration. She had been reading for hours, her eyes burning, her mind racing."Anything?" Andrew asked, not looking up from his own book."Fragments," Hailey said. "The Watcher's memories are... scattered. Like pieces of a shattered mirror." She closed her eyes, pressing her palms against the table. "But I'm starting to see them."She reached out to the Watcher's presence, feeling it pulse beneath her skin. The amber light flickered behind her eyes, and suddenly, she was no longer in the library.She was somewhere else. Somewhen else.***She stood in a garden—not the Hart estate, but a different garden, older,

The airport terminal was a blur of noise and motion—announcements crackling over the intercom, travelers rushing past with suitcases, the distant hum of planes taking off and landing. Copper and Whitaker walked through the crowd, their bags slung over their shoulders, their eyes scanning the arrivals gate.Two weeks away had felt like a lifetime."Feels strange to be back," Copper said, his voice carrying over the noise.Whitaker nodded. "I almost forgot what normal life felt like.""Normal life doesn't exist anymore," Copper said quietly. "Not for us."They spotted Evans and Lorraine waiting near the barrier. Evans's face was drawn, his eyes shadowed with exhaustion. Lorraine's smile was tight, forced—the kind of smile that didn't reach her eyes.Copper broke into a run, dropping his bag and pulling Lorraine into a tight embrace. "I missed you," he said.Lorraine hugged him back, her grip fierce. "I missed you too."Whitaker approached more slowly, shaking Evans's hand. "How bad is i

Copper stood in the hallway long after Sophia had disappeared, her words lingering in his mind like smoke.He had approached her to ask her more about Jason and what kind of relationship they had shared even before now. But just like everyone else, she had also expressed an unwavering trust in Jason."Some truths are harder to bear than others." She had said before she returned to her wing in the Estate.He didn't know what she meant—not exactly. But he knew she was warning him. She knew Jason had secrets. She knew Copper was digging. And she was trying to prepare him for whatever he might find.But Copper didn't care about the weight of the truth. He needed the truth. He needed to understand why Jason felt so familiar, why his instincts screamed every time the man was near, why he couldn't shake the feeling that something was being hidden from him.He pulled out his phone and dialed Whitaker.The line rang twice before Whitaker picked up. His voice was groggy, thick with sleep. "Copp

Evans had just stepped outside, his keys in hand, when he heard the voice."Evans Tony."He froze. The voice was familiar, calm, measured, and carrying a weight that made him pause. He turned slowly, his eyes scanning the shadows near the corner of the estate.Jason stepped out from the darkness, his face unreadable."Jason," Evans said, his voice carefully neutral. "What are you doing out here?"Jason walked closer, his footsteps silent on the gravel. His eyes were fixed on Evans with an intensity that made him uneasy."Evans Tony," Jason repeated, "son of Admiral George Tony."Evans's breath caught. His father's name—spoken so deliberately, so pointedly. The mention of his father, dead for fifteen years, sent a chill down his spine."Am I missing something?" Evans asked, his voice sharp.Jason stopped a few feet away, his hands in his pockets. "I guess you really want to know what led to your father's death fifteen years ago."Evans's jaw tightened. The words hit him like a physical