Morning came too fast. The rain had cleaned the streets during the night, and now the cobblestones were wet and shining like black glass. But the palace was not so easily rinsed of its shadows.
I entered the council chamber with my chin high, but the letter still pressed down on me like lead folded in my ribs. Wren hovered to my right, her gaze razor-sharp and vigilant, while Gideon took up position on my left, a silent bastion of protection. We must have looked like a parade of purpose. But inside, I was like a performer on a wire, waiting for the wire to break.
Halsten was already there.
He was leaning against the long table, with one hand on the back of a chair, his relaxed posture was that of a man who felt the ground beneath him was not going anywhere. His eyes rose as I entered, a
