The reply did not take long.
It never does
when pride is involved.
The message arrived before midday.
Sealed.
Marked.
Deliberate.
Lyra held it between her fingers as she stood once again near the tall windows of the council chamber.
Not opening it immediately.
Letting it sit.
Letting it exist.
Kael watched her from across the room.
“You’re not going to read it?” he asked.
Lyra turned slightly.
“I will.”
A pause.
“But not the moment it arrives.”
Kael’s brow lifted slightly.
Understanding.
“He expects urgency,” she continued.
“He won’t get it.”
That earned the faintest shift of approval from him.
Finally,
she broke the seal.
Unrolled the parchment.
Her eyes moved slowly.
Carefully.
No visible reaction.
Not at first.
Then
a small exhale.
“Well?” Kael asked.
Lyr
