The demonstration room had been turned into a stage. High ceiling, open space above for viewing seats. It didn’t feel like a place to heal anyone. It felt like a show.
Fourteen people sat up there. I picked out their scents right away—some nervous, some curious, some hungry for power. Cassin’s blank, empty scent sat right in the center spot. Best view, of course. He always made sure of that.
“Three subjects,” one of the elders announced from my left.
I lifted my chin. “I decide the order.”
Silence dropped over the room like a heavy blanket. I could feel them calculating whether to push back.
Then the elder spoke again, voice tight. “As you wish.”
The side door opened. Three people walked in.
I sorted them fast with my senses. Left: young woman, maybe seventeen or eighteen. Her heart
