The name hung in the damp basement air, echoing louder than the sirens that had just been silenced by the tactical team.

*Master Aurelia.*

Julian let out a sharp, breathless sound that was halfway between a laugh and a choke. He stared at Victor, then at me, his face twisting into a grotesque mas

The brilliant, oceanic glow of the 'Tear of the Empress' bathed the grim, concrete walls of the basement workshop in an ethereal blue light. For a long, breathless moment, the only sound in the room was the hum of the ventilation system and the ragged, panicked breathing of Julian Thorne, who remain

The absolute finality of Serena’s words hung in the stale basement air, heavier than the chemical fumes of the forgery workshop.

Julian Thorne stared at the smartphone in Serena’s trembling hands as if it were a venomous snake preparing to strike. His chest heaved, his breath whistling through his