The morning after the battle smelled of smoke and iron.
The city hadn’t slept. Neither had I. From the throne room’s open balcony, I could see the square below—where the blood had dried but the tension hadn’t. The people wanted answers. They wanted someone to blame.
And for once, I was ready to give them truth instead of excuses.
Brenn entered first, armor still dented, jaw set. “The council is waiting,” he said. “Some think this… trial idea is madness.”
“It’s not a trial,” I said, straightening the cuffs of my tunic. “It’s a reckoning. If I demand justice, I must face it too.”
Brenn frowned. “You’ll be giving them permission to destroy you.”
“Maybe,” I said. “Or I’ll give them permission to trust me again.”
Before he could argue, Liora appeared behind him. Her cloak was dark, her h
