Chapter 95
Over the next few days, Arden moved through her routine as if nothing were amiss. She and Malakor had already discussed her plan to pit Hennessey against Douglas, but it would take time to set the pieces in motion. To make sure everything unfolded exactly as she intended, Arden would have to play the long game—manipulating Hennessey while simultaneously getting inside Douglas’ head.
Unfortunately, she barely managed to execute phase one before realizing Douglas had vanished. He hadn’t shown up to roll call for three days straight, yet Magnus didn’t seem concerned enough to mention it. Eventually, curiosity got the better of her, and Arden decided to ask Magnus about Douglas’ whereabouts.
“Commander, do you have a minute?” Arden asked, knocking on Magnus’ office door.
“For yo
