Bound by the Mark of Lies (BL)

But the more Gabriel pulled at the threads, the more they frayed into nothing.

An encrypted itinerary here, stripped of destinations.

A shipment log missing half its signatures.

A medical requisition that cut off mid-entry, the rest replaced with a block of static-filled ether corruption.

Edward's frown deepened as another search came back with only a red banner across the display: No Data Found.

Gabriel's eyes narrowed. "That's not missing… it's been erased."

Edward's fingers flew across the interface, bypassing two more security layers before the system finally spat out a terse administrative notice: Central Imperial Archive, Section VII-Destroyed during the siege, Year 863, Month 3. Cause: fire damage during the rebellion.

"Six years ago," Edward said, sitting back in his chair. "Half of what you're looking for is ash. And the other half… someone decided wasn't worth salvaging."

Gabriel's jaw tightened, but his voice stayed smooth. "Or was worth hiding."

Hours passed, the ether hum in the room blending into the steady rhythm of scrolling data. In the end, they had only fragments, pieces that hinted at movements before Goliath's fall, and gaps that were almost too neat to be coincidence. Nothing solid enough to act on… yet.

—

One Month Later

The walk to his official office felt almost foreign after weeks spent in the quiet of the imperial wing. The corridors were brighter here, the polished ether sconces casting a clean glow over marble floors, the air humming faintly with the steady pulse of the palace's central grid. Courtiers and aides slowed or outright stopped as he passed, the collective bow and murmur of "Your Grace" following him like a ripple.

Gabriel didn't break stride. He was dressed for politics today, in a dark tailored coat, high collar, the gold of his consort's seal glinting at his throat. Arik was with Damian, leaving him free and with no excuse to delay what came next.

The double doors to his office slid open with a soft hiss of displaced air, revealing a room already occupied.

The Department of Spite was waiting.

Alexandra lounged in the corner armchair, one foot hooked over the other, idly turning a jeweled pen between her fingers. Rafael was at the window with his back to the view, coat thrown over the arm of a chair, reviewing something on his tablet with the air of a man grading someone else's incompetence. Irina sat at the far end of the long meeting table, posture perfect, but her bright eyes tracking him the moment he stepped inside.

"Finally," Alexandra drawled, rising with a slow smile. "We were about to start without you and declare a coup."

"You'd fail," Gabriel said mildly, moving past her to the head of the table.

Rafael didn't look up from his screen. "We've kept the list warm for you. Two nobles tried to push a hunting regulation through while you were gone. Illegal, self-serving, and badly worded. It was almost insulting."

Irina's voice was sunnier. "We also compiled a file on every person who complained about your absence. It's color-coded."

Gabriel set his coat over the back of his chair, seating himself with the kind of unhurried precision that made the others straighten instinctively. "Good. Let's ruin some mornings."

Alexandra slid a thin folder across the table with quiet grace. "We prioritized by offense. Top of the list is Lord Saren, who attempted to reroute ether grid funding from the central wards to his own district. Claimed it was an 'emergency infrastructure project.'"

Gabriel opened the folder, scanning the neatly compiled evidence. "Let me guess… his 'emergency' is a hunting lodge with a private docking pad?"

Rafael's mouth curved faintly. "You're learning."

Irina flipped open her own folder. "Second priority is Lady Verrick. She's been lobbying for increased tariffs on imported grain while quietly stockpiling from the western provinces. We have the shipping manifests."

Gabriel leaned back, fingertips pressed together. "Halden's influence?"

"Likely," Rafael said. "She was seen leaving his residence two nights before the petition was filed."

Gabriel smiled without warmth. "Then we'll deal with them together. Double the embarrassment, half the effort."

Alexandra smirked. "And the rest of the list?"

He glanced at the holo-display Irina projected. Names, offenses, and potential pressure points arranged in a clean, ruthless grid. "We'll save them for the afternoon session. I want them to watch the first two fall before they realize they're next."

Edward appeared in the doorway, perfectly timed, carrying a stack of updated briefs. "Your Grace, your council session begins in twenty minutes. Try not to dismantle anyone important before lunch."

Gabriel rose, sliding the folders into a slim case. "If they were important, they wouldn't be on my list."

The Department of Spite followed him out, their formation as effective as any guard detail.

—

The council chamber was already filling when Gabriel arrived, the usual murmur of voices faltering as the carved double doors opened. Edward moved ahead of him, announcing his arrival with a precision that was half warning, half courtesy. Alexandra and Rafael followed close behind, Irina slipping into place among the aides with her ever-present notebook.

Gabriel crossed to the vacant seat at Damian's right, setting down his slim case. The holo-console embedded into the table flickered to life at his touch, syncing instantly with the files Alexandra had prepared. Names and offenses slid into neat columns in the lower corner of the display, quiet reminders of the morning's priorities.

The first matter on the agenda was Lord Saren's request for emergency ether grid funding. Saren launched into his speech with all the practiced earnestness of a man who thought his lie airtight.

Gabriel let him go on for exactly ten minutes before interrupting.

"Your request claims a critical failure in the central ward conduits," Gabriel said, voice level, "yet the inspection logs from last month list them as fully operational. The only new installation request from your district in that period was for an auxiliary docking pad on private land."

Murmurs broke out along the table. Saren's face tightened.

Gabriel didn't pause. "Requisition denied. And I'll be directing the Ministry of Infrastructure to audit your district's last three funding allocations."

By the time Lady Verrick's grain tariff proposal came up, the room was watching him with the wariness reserved for predators. Gabriel dismantled her case in less than twenty minutes, using shipping data Rafael had unearthed to prove she'd been stockpiling imports under a subsidiary name.

The rest of the session moved with surgical efficiency. Petitions were approved, altered, or struck down before most speakers had a chance to regain their footing. When the final agenda item closed, Gabriel rose with the same calm precision with which he'd entered.

"Efficient," he said, not bothering to hide the faint edge of satisfaction. "We'll reconvene tomorrow."

As they left, Alexandra's smirk was pure satisfaction. "We should disappear more often. They get sloppy."

"Sloppy for them," Gabriel murmured, "useful idiots for us."