Chapter 6: The Council's Gambit
The High Council gathered in the Chamber of Sigils, cloaked in moonlight and secrecy. Twelve lords and ladies, old as the laws they upheld, sat beneath floating glyphs that recorded every word spoken in the room. Only the king could erase them. And the king was not here.
At the head of the table stood Lord Edrin, the Grand Vizier, his robes lined with threads of spellsteel, his voice a practiced blend of reverence and threat.
"We must act before she becomes more than a queen," he said. "The spirits have chosen her—but spirits can be... persuaded."
Maevia stood to his left, veiled in midnight silk. "This is not about jealousy," she said smoothly. "This is about balance. I was here when Kaelen was a boy. I helped shape this kingdom. I know what happens when prophecy is misunderstood."
"She has already uncovered the Forbidden Chamber," Lady Veressa added. "The old blood magic—her mother's legacy—flows in her. The people are whispering."
"Let them whisper," Edrin replied. "We will give them something louder."
Maevia unrolled a scroll. "I propose we invoke the Rite of Reclamation."
Gasps echoed around the chamber.
It was a dangerous law—ancient and rarely used. It allowed the council to nullify a magical bond formed in the Choosing if the subject was proven to endanger the kingdom. It would sever Liora's tie to the Crown Tree. Cut her off from Kaelen. Strip her of protection.
"We would need evidence," someone said.
"We'll give them a crime," Maevia whispered. "Or... she'll give us one."
---
In the private sanctum of the royal wing, Kaelen pressed a cool cloth to Liora's cut.
"A servant?" he asked, brows drawn in fury.
"A pawn," Liora said. "The real danger is deeper. Someone—something—is moving through this palace, hiding behind loyalty."
She handed him the silver-bound book. "My mother saw it. She warned them. They banished her. And now, they're trying to erase me too."
Kaelen opened the book, and as he read, the glow of the Crown Tree in the distance flickered—dimmed. Something was wrong.
"You should leave the palace," he said, quietly.
Liora looked at him. "You want me safe?"
"I want you alive."
But Liora shook her head. "I wasn't chosen to run. If they want to come for me, they'll find more than prophecy waiting."
Kaelen stared at her then—really stared. Not as a king. Not as a man tangled in duty.
But as someone falling.
"You make me believe this kingdom can survive," he said.
"And I make it dangerous," she replied.
They didn't kiss. Not yet. But the silence between them was louder than any vow.
---
That night, in the deepest chamber beneath the temple, Maevia placed a vial of Liora's blood onto the altar.
The masked figure emerged from the shadows.
"You promised power," Maevia whispered.
"I promised change," the shadow replied.
And the flames around them turned black.