The doors of Grey Shadow Hall closed behind them with a quiet heaviness that Robert felt more than heard. The afternoon air outside was cooler than he expected, carrying the faint smell of dust and distant rain.
He walked beside his father in silence, his footsteps steady, his mind already working through everything that had happened inside that room.
The meeting had not gone badly. That was the honest assessment. Elder Delvin had been composed, not hostile.
The announcement of the Forest Hunt Competition had been delivered as information, not as a threat. And yet Robert left the hall feeling the weight of something large settling onto his shoulders — not fear, but the particular pressure that comes from understanding exactly how much ground you have yet to cover.
His mind drifted to Aria Valen before he could stop it.
