Darius POV
The council chamber felt colder lately. Not physically.
Everything inside Ironfang felt wrong lately.
The silence between council members stretched too long now. Conversations stopped when I entered the rooms. Warriors avoided direct eye contact more often than before.
And every time Kaelira walked into a space, people watched her.
I stood near the upper balcony outside the council hall with both hands resting against the stone railing while patrol reports sat untouched beside me.
Three weeks ago I would have focused on stabilizing authority.
Now?
Now I couldn’t stop thinking.
About Seraphine.
About Kaelira.
About every warning I ignored because it was easier to believe the version of events that protected me from guilt. Footsteps approached quietly behind me.
I didn
