"Invoke Armaments, serial batch 4821-A," Rhys said grimly. "Registered six months ago under private testing clearance. The same company that supplies your academy's defense tools."
Elara's eyes flicked toward Merlin before she could stop herself.
He didn't move. Didn't blink.
Morgana leaned back slightly. "You seem unsurprised."
Merlin forced his tone calm. "I've… heard of Invoke. They're a large-scale supplier. It isn't odd they'd produce weapon components for the academy."
Rhys' gaze sharpened. "Except this batch isn't registered in any of our official catalogs. The shipment was redirected from their main foundry before reaching distribution, then vanished."
"Vanished?" Elara repeated softly.
"Completely," Morgana confirmed. "No transport record. No financial trace. The paperwork stops mid-transfer. Someone scrubbed the trail clean."
Merlin's fingers curled faintly against his leg.
