Far from the ballroom music, a quieter and more dangerous gathering continued behind closed doors.
The private royal chamber smelled of sealing wax, old paper, and wine nobody had touched.
Family heads, military commanders, and senior guild officials surrounded a table covered by a sprawling map of the kingdom.
Red markers identified unstable Gates across every vulnerable region of the kingdom, and three fresh circles overlapped where Kenny Flint's southern vanguard had failed.
"The situation is unstable," a military commander said, placing two fingers against the newest circle.
"The recent Gate has expanded since the Flint vanguard failed to clear it," he continued, tracing the altered boundary.
"Unless we contain it within one week, the kingdom risks a localized anomaly break," the commander warned, looking toward the King.
Duke Vahn leaned back and dismissed the threat with one jeweled hand.
"Then the solution is simple," he said, glancing around the table.
