Edric’s argument arrived in three black binders.
He placed them on the council table before anyone else entered, one at Caelum’s seat, one before Councilwoman Rael, and one at the center for shared review. Each bore the same title in white lettering:
Dusk Alliance — Strategic Continuity Recommendation.
Wren read it from the side table where she had been assigned to record corrections to the financial appendices. Calling it a recommendation rather than a proposal told her the conclusion had been written before the meeting began.
Seraphine entered with two Dusk advisers and took the eastern seat. Caelum arrived last, carrying no binder of his own. His attention moved first to Edric’s title, then to Wren. The bond tightened once between them, carrying the memory of the canceled credential
