Damien stood at the map wall, wearing simple dark clothing rather than noble finery. He looked tired – dark circles under his eyes, tension in his shoulders.
"Captain Thornwood." He turned. "Thank you for coming. I wasn't certain you would."
"I came for information, not social call." She set her journal on his desk. "You said you had intelligence on the organized demons."
"I do. But first, I need to show you something." He gestured to the map. "Every demon attack in the past six months. Notice the pattern?"
She moved closer, studying. The attacks formed rough circle around the capital, gradually tightening. "They're probing defenses. Testing response times and capabilities."
"Exactly. But look at the timing." He pointed to specific dates. "Attacks consistently occur when certain guard units are on duty. Units with known corruption issues – captains taking bribes, soldiers looking the other way for noble crimes."
