The knock on the heavy oak door came soft, respectful.
Osiris Lawless looked up from the stack of unfinished reports on his desk, irritation flashing briefly across his cold eyes.
"Enter," he said.
The door creaked open, and an agent stepped inside, the silver badge of the Investigation Authority gleaming faintly on his cloak.
He bowed, then extended a sealed document. "Lord Lawless. Lord Rowe intercepted them, just like you predicted. This is the report of the battle."
Osiris leaned forward, taking it with his eyes shining with eagerness. He broke the seal with the edge of a knife, spreading the parchment across his desk.
His eyes flicked over the words, tracing every detail. The ambush on the carriage, the clash between Rowe's men and Academy staff, the sighting of the cloaked woman, the use of flame spells, the sudden teleportation.
As he read, the corners of his mouth twitched upward. By the time he was done, a quiet laugh slipped out, dark and satisfied.
