The assembly didn't end. It shifted.
After Gideon's performance, Katheris called for a recess. But instead of dismissing everyone, she requested that "key stakeholders" remain. Which apparently meant me, Darius, and whoever the council decided was important enough to witness whatever came next.
I watched the crowd thin, noting who stayed and who left. Lord Henric remained, along with Lady Miren and three other council members I barely knew. Mordain, of course, stayed front and center. And Gideon lingered near the back, studying his fingernails like he didn't have a care in the world.
Caleb caught my eye from across the room and made a subtle gesture. Two fingers pointed at Miren, then a throat-cutting motion. Don't trust her.
"Now that we have appropriate privacy," Katheris began, "let
