A soft knock broke the silence. “Come in,” he said without turning around.

The door opened, and Beta Juls and Gamma Roderick stepped in. Their wounds from the battle with the rogues had almost completely healed, thanks to the healers — but the memory of the fight still burned in their eyes.

“We’ve finished tightening security around the territory,” Juls reported. “No suspicious activity has been detected. The warriors are on high alert.”

“Good,” Aldus replied. “We can’t afford any interference