Chapter 496: Dead Ends
The council hall was already full.
Morning light poured in through the tall, narrow windows, laying pale bands across the long wooden table and the worn floorboards beneath it. Dust drifted lazily in the air, stirred by the quiet movement of bodies settling into their seats. The carvings on the high timber walls caught the light in shallow relief—old symbols, old stories, watching.
Orion sat at the head of the table.
Ronan sat on his right, leaning back in his chair in a way that looked careless but never truly was. Sophia sat on Orion's left, close enough that the edge of her sleeve brushed his arm when she shifted.
Everyone was in their usual seats, and the only person not available was Tobias.
Orion exhaled slowly through his nose. He was glad that Tobias was the only one not present. That just meant he and Sophia wouldn't have to explain things over and over again for everybody.
