I look at the subterranean map. Deep beneath the Academy, far below the reach of the collapsing cliff, a massive, concentrated thermal signature is burning through the bedrock.
They didn't send the drilling team through the courtyard, I whisper, the realization hitting me like a physical blow. They dropped them directly onto the roof of the bunker.
The deep bunker is a sanctuary of cold, blue light and humming servers.
Asher and Elara sit in the center of the room, their hands clasped together, their eyes closed in deep concentration. They are projecting a localized dissonance field, scrambling the Architects' sensors and keeping the Ouroboros loop stable. They look impossibly small, their faces pale, their breathing shallow.
Margot is tending to the wounded wolves who were evacuated t
