"You mean Cadman City's grand psionic barrier hub wasn't damaged?"
When Murphy saw the young lady, her face haggard, she immediately raised an eyebrow at the news she gave him.
He asked skeptically, "That doesn't sound likely. If the super-barrier known as 'Serenade' could still function, why didn't it activate when the Astral Rift opened? I know a city's psionic defense barrier couldn't stop an astral rupture of that magnitude, but at the very least, it could have bought the Blood Eagle Clan members some time to prepare and evacuate.
"We watched the whole thing.
"The legendary Serenade never activated at all."
"That's because the traitors in the city shut it down ahead of time. Triss should have warned you that there were traitors in the city."
The young lady took an ancient map from her psionic satchel. She glanced at Murphy, then unfolded it before the vampire. The map was quite old. Though it had been well preserved, the passage of time had still left unmistakable traces on it.
"Cadman City was built four hundred years ago by my father, who led the Blood Eagle Clan and the first settlers in its construction. When he planned the city, he made sure to leave enough room for the grand psionic barrier to be expanded.
"The city was built to defend against the Black Calamity. After four hundred years of continuous reinforcement, the Serenade psionic barrier system is now among the strongest on the continent in terms of defense alone. The Third Black Calamity ravaged most of the continent, but Cadman City held out until it ended. That alone speaks to Serenade's strength.
"The Plantagenet Kingdom never tried to launch a direct surprise attack here during the Ten-Year War, either. That was because of Serenade.
"The barrier system consists of seven