Emma's POV
The council room felt like it was closing in on me. I could barely breathe, my pulse hammering in my ears. Every elder’s eyes darted to the entrance where the strange gray-haired man had burst in. His eyes scanned the gathering with disgust.
“Are you all mad fools?” he bellowed, slamming his staff into the floor with such force that I almost flinched. “Sitting here, watching two little girls fight to the death?!”
One of the elders tried to explain, “My king, this is the Tis'Uma, it's the law—”
“Silence!” he snapped, jabbing his staff in the elder’s direction. “The Tis’Uma was for warriors, not women!” His eyes swept over the room, landing on me, narrowing with each word. I felt like he was peeling back every layer of confidence I tried to cling to. “All of you, get out. No
