The notice called it an educational contrast.
I read that phrase twice, hoping the second attempt would make it less obvious that somebody wanted to put me in front of Aiden's fire.
Participant A: Aiden. Participant B: Cedric Valdrake Arkhen. Limited exhibition. Supervised opposition. Final conditions subject to arena inspection and medical approval.
The provisional assignment required us to attend the review. Somewhere between the invitation language at the top and the attendance requirement at the bottom, declining had become something I would need to explain.
The Ledger unfolded a row while I was still holding the page.
[ THE VILLAIN'S LEDGER - ALERT ]
SLOT #19: AIDEN'S EARLY AWAKENING
STATUS: ACTIVE
CONDITION: FORCED DIRECT CONFRONTATION
There it was. The mismatch I remembered, arriving before the date I had expected.
