The High Council Hall was built to intimidate.
Massive stone pillars rose thirty meters to a vaulted ceiling painted with scenes of ancient battles. A circular bench of elders sat on an elevated platform, each one wearing formal black robes with silver trim. The center of the hall was a wide, open floor where the accused stood before judgment.
Holden walked through the oak doors and took a seat in the observer section.
Draven was already there.
He stood in the middle of the hall, wrapped in heavy spiritual chains that glowed faintly blue. Each chain was inscribed with suppression runes that kept his astra energy completely sealed.
Two men in expensive suits stood beside him. Not guards. Lawyers. The kind that noble families hired when they needed to make guilt disappear with fancy words.
The elder in the center, a bald man with a stern face, leaned forward.
"Counsel for the defense, you may present your argument."
