Brena looked at the contract until she could trust her face again. Beside her, Tavi was smiling with considerably less restraint.
The clerk waited for Black's attention to return to her.
"Where exactly was the nest? We should send someone to inspect the area."
Della leaned over the map the clerk unfolded and pointed out their route. Black listened while she explained the basin, the broken barricade, and the concealed entrance farther into the hills.
"There were thousands," Della said. "They filled the whole basin. More kept coming out of the trees."
The pen stopped again.
"Thousands?"
"Yes."
The clerk looked down at the contract he'd placed before her. Della knew what she would find on it. She'd read the notice herself, then stood in this very hall telling Black there was nothing special about their little expedition.
Her stomach tightened at the memory.
