Aegis woke up to the sound of her bedroom door slamming open.
"Boss! Boss, wake up!"
She was on her feet before her brain caught up, one hand reaching for the daggers she kept under her pillow. Then her vision cleared and she saw Kai'Lin standing in the doorway, her ears flat against her head, her tail whipping back and forth.
Mei'Lin appeared behind her sister a second later, slightly less frantic but still tense.
"What." Aegis's voice came out rough with sleep. "What's happening. Is someone dead?"
"Not yet, nya." Kai'Lin bounded into the room and shoved a piece of paper into Aegis's hands. "But you might want to read this."
Aegis squinted at the paper. Her eyes were still adjusting to being awake, and the handwriting was messy, clearly scribbled in a hurry. She made out words like "Goldspire" and "meetings" and "three houses confirmed" before she gave up and looked back at Kai'Lin.
"Summarize. Small words. I just woke up."
