Aria’s POV
The lower vaults didn’t breathe.
Air down here was old and dry, like it hadn’t moved since the last time someone came asking for truth and regretted it.
Torchlight ran down the walls in uneven streaks, catching the edges of wards carved so deep they looked like scars.
Coren walked ahead, silent now. His certainty from the gate was gone. Even Council magistrates don’t like being overruled by the High Speaker.
Darian was at my left, Mara at my right. Neither of them had drawn their blades, but both had hands close enough that it counted. The guards didn’t try to stop them. Smart.
The vault opened into a circular chamber. No thrones here. No banners. Just the Oath Stone.
It sat in the center on a plinth of cracked marble. Black rock, smooth as glass, veined with faint s
