The war room was quiet when we returned.
Vael had been moved to a different room — Seren's doing, the quiet efficiency of someone who understood that the conversation about to happen in the war room was not one that required an audience. Edran was at the door. Mara was at the table, hands flat on the surface, watching Kael with the specific attention of someone who had been waiting for this conversation for a long time and had opinions about how it should go.
Kael sat down.
That alone was significant — he rarely sat in the war room, preferred to stand, the posture of someone who needed to be immediately mobile. Sitting meant he'd decided this was going to take a while and he was going to give it what it required.
I sat across from him.
Mara stayed where she was.
"Aldric Vane," I said
