Cassian POV
Quillan’s words unsettled me. He wasn’t merely speculating I could see it in his eyes. He knew something, or at the very least, he carried a gut certainty I couldn’t dismiss.
The proposal raised at the council had been ludicrous, and I’d felt relief when it was shot down. Yet hearing the conviction in Quillan’s tone now allowed doubt to slither into my thoughts, sharp and unwelcome.
I leaned back, keeping my tone deliberately light. “They were just pressing their luck.”
Quillan exhaled hard, shaking his head.
“On the contrary, Cassian. Do you truly believe they put that forward expecting agreement? No. They’re laying foundations, plotting even now.”
I frowned, straightening in my seat. “And what do you suggest?”
He rubbed a hand over his face, weariness etched into every
