CHAPTER 94
The council chamber had emptied, but its echoes refused to die. Even after the last of the elders had stormed away, their furious voices seemed to linger in the stone, clinging like smoke. Grace remained at the head of the table, motionless, her hands resting on the polished wood as though she were holding it down to stop it from rising against her.
Mathew stood at a respectful distance. He kept quiet after the just concluded conversation he had with Grace, but he had more to say. His silence was weighted with questions, none of which Grace wanted to answer.
Finally, she pushed back her chair and rose. The sound scraped through the hollow chamber. She walked toward the great doors, the crown on her head feeling heavier with each step.
