“Most of them,” Damon corrected, his eyes dark. “But the head of the snake is still alive.”

Suddenly, the security monitor on the wall let out a sharp, high-pitched beep.

The camera feed for the east gate flickered, filled with static, and then went completely black.

Damon’s hand instantly went to the console, his fingers flying across the keyboard.

I stood frozen, watching the screen flicker with gray lines.

The silence in the room grew heavy, broken only by the hum of the hard drive.

“It is just a temporary drop in the signal,” Damon said, his voice flat and controlled.

He did not look at me.

“Don’t lie to me, Damon,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

I reached into the deep pocket of my heavy winter coat.

My fingers wrapped around the thick, wax-sealed envelope I had carried with me from Copper Harbor.

I pulled it out and slammed it down onto the desk, right on top of his keyboard.

The heavy paper made a dull thud against the plastic keys.

Damon stopped typing.