The longhall was too small for what the day demanded. So they met in the open courtyard, under sky that no longer shimmered with the veil. A long table stood at the center, its surface covered with papers and maps, all weighted down with stones and cups. Wolves, witches, vampires, and humans filled the circle, not in lines of opposition but side by side.
Ravyn stood with her family behind her—Grayson steady, Cassian sharp, her sons watching from the edge with the other bridge-builders. She felt her mark pulsing like a steady heartbeat, no longer warning of fire or betrayal, but humming with a sense of conclusion.
Moira raised her copper rod. “We reconvene for the final time under the terms of secrecy. By the end of today, there will be no secrecy. Only agreement.”
Leigh Chen, the county
