Chapter 367. Declaration, Not Construction

Ann gathered all of the notes and shaped them into a clean, blunt summary.

‘Ely’s constructs show clear signs of his pact with Eromaug. The King’s travel patterns suggest that he too is involved. Movements suggest he renews that pact on a regular cycle. Portalcraft texts warn that hidden pacts warp the anchors of a gate or a portal, making them unstable. Cleansing one requires every detail to be spoken aloud and made public.

In plain terms: the Lycan King is already bound to Eromaug, or close to being so. Any gate or portal that he is able to touch will be corrupted or weakened. To protect ours, every portal must be built with layered defenses, magickal countermarks and redundant failsafes, or it will collapse under his influence if he ever gets close enough.’

She sent the summary to Eva and flagged it for Adam with a single line. Read before council.

Her hand hovered on the keyboard. She could picture Adam’s face when he read it, his fury boiling up and his