Chapter 206

*Elora*

The fire cracked low in the corner brazier, but its warmth felt far away, like it couldn’t reach through the thick tension pressing between everyone.

Kael stood near the far wall, arms crossed and jaw tight, pacing back and forth like a caged wolf waiting to snap. Valerius sat at the edge of the table, a stack of old parchments spread before him, most of them half-charred or marked with