The council chamber still seethed with echoes of shouted accusations when the floor lurched beneath us. The sound wasn’t the clean crack of stone—it was deeper, older, like the groan of the world’s spine under too much weight. My hand shot to the nearest pillar, steadying myself as a low vibration rattled up my arm and into my bones.
Above us, the crystals set in the vaulted ceiling flickered violently. Their steady silver glow warped into a sickly green that bathed every elder’s face in the light of rot. The Glitter Pools at our feet, once calm mirrors of starlight, rippled black. They warped as if invisible hands stirred their depths, warping reflection into shadow.
Gasps broke through the chamber. Wings snapped open in instinctive defense, the sudden flash of feathers and gossamer tur
