"I have lived long enough to know that power bound by fear always snaps its leash. The only question is when, and who will be standing close enough to bleed when it does."
MAELIS POV
The air was thick enough to chew, heavy with tension that no castle light could soften. I took my carved seat as High Councilor, the stone biting into me as though it wanted me to feel the weight of what was about to be spoken. The chamber's curved walls closed around us, jaws of a beast ready to snap shut, and every flame guttered low, as though the fire itself feared Luna Seraphine.
