A few days later, Arion returned to the restricted forest with Matthias beside him and considerably less trust than he had carried during their previous visit.
Officially, they were there because Matthias believed several other elders could be brought toward the eastern monitoring corridor without drawing the younger knights behind them, allowing Arion and Victor to determine whether age changed the risks of restoration.
Unofficially, Arion wanted Matthias away from Theodore, away from Dean, and somewhere surrounded by enough open ground and armed personnel that if his instincts proved correct, ending the problem would be considerably easier.
Hendrik had understood without needing the explanation twice.
So had Hunter.
Elias had understood before anyone said anything at all.
That bothered Arion most.
