KILLIAN.
"You got one hour, Elder Rowan. Don't waste it."
I didn't bother waiting for his answer. I went straight to the head chair, pulled it out, and sat. No hesitation. Because in a room like this, every move mattered—even the small ones.
The council chamber was colder than usual. Six men, all circling that long stone table, wore their own brands of displeasure on their faces. Rowan sat at one end. Voss beside him, looking hungry for power, younger and too sharp.
Three others—I knew their names but stopped trusting any of them since my father died. Drake anchored the other end, eyes glued to the table. He hadn't looked up once.
I clocked it but didn’t say a word.
Pain tugged at my side every time I breathed, quiet but insistent. I kept my arm still and my face blank. Pain was jus
