The palace changed within minutes of the council summons. Alarm currents spread through the halls like invisible thunder, vibrating against the coral walls and sending schools of silver fish scattering through the upper arches. Servants moved quickly but silently, their usual warmth replaced by disciplined urgency. Guards appeared at every intersection, armor gleaming, expressions carved into professional neutrality that fooled no one. Something serious was happening, and everyone knew it.
I stood beside Azarus as the chamber doors sealed behind the departing guard.The weight of what had just been announced pressed heavily against my chest. A formal accusation. A judgment request. Not gossip, not whispered resentment, but an official move against me,against us.
