The council chamber didn't just feel cold; it felt like a trap, a dungeon.
The air was stagnant, recycled by centuries of judgment, heavy with the scent of burning resin and old stone. The Elders sat in a semicircle of obsidian chairs that seemed to swallow the torchlight, their eyes predatory and unblinking. They weren’t looking at
Talia is a guest. They were looking at her like a variable in an equation that didn't balance.
Talia planted her feet on the stone floor, locking her knees to stop them from shaking. Beside her, Casius was a statue of lethal intent.
Behind her, she could feel the heat of Alina’s anger.
You shouldn’t be here, Talia thought, glancing back.
Alina had refused to stay behind. When the summons came, she had dug her heels into the floorboards of the guest qua
