HAILEY
The council hall reeked of politics and polished stone, I stood still in the old chamber, the weight of generations of judgement pressing down from the carved wolves snarling along the high walls. The air was thick with quiet accusations, and the councillors elders from across the realm sat in their half-circle like predators waiting to pounce.
My fingers twitched at my sides, unable to keep still, Amenia was pacing inside me, snarling low. Do they truly have the gall to summon us like this?
I muttered under my breath, “I don’t like it either.”
Aldric, always the coldest among them, leaned forward. “Queen Hailey,” he began, his voice polished and sharp like a blade dressed in silk. “We’ve convened to discuss the path forward; The present conflict with Azure must be... addressed.
