(Caius)
The page beneath wasn't blank.
Small, careful handwriting covered it from top to bottom. The ink had faded with age but remained legible, each word placed with the precision of someone who understood that whatever they were committing to paper would outlast them by generations.
I read the first line aloud.
"The child was brought to us by the Elder himself. We were told she was the last of her line and that her survival depended on no one knowing what she was."
Isla went very still beside me.
I kept reading.
"We agreed to protect the record. We agreed to say nothing. What we didn't agree to was what came after. The Elder didn't want the child hidden. He wanted her gone. When we refused he found another way."
I stopped.
Isla's hand was still over mine on the table.
"Keep go
