Page 241 of Elemental Becoming

His gaze sweeps around the table, settling on each council member in turn and giving them every opportunity to object.

No one does.

Edric exhales through his nose, his jaw still tight, but he doesn’t argue. After a moment, he gives a single nod, sharp and decisive.

Lady Sienna Dain holds Thane’s gaze the longest. Her dark blue eyes remain thoughtful as she considers the shift in the room and what it might mean for the future. She offers neither agreement nor objection. After several quiet moments, she folds her hands in front of her and settles back in her chair.

Master Orlon Revic merely hums. The scholar’s golden eyes gleam in the torchlight as he studies the people around the table rather than the argument itself. He had never openly opposed my presence, but neither had he supported it. If he has an opinion, he keeps it to himself.

Across from me, Valen leans back in his chair with his arms crossed. His expression remains composed, but there is a glint of satisfaction in his eyes.

Garrick, who had watched the exchange with quiet scrutiny, exhales and shrugs. “No problem here.”

And then there’s Rowena. She presses her lips together so tightly they nearly disappear. Her arms are folded, her posture perfectly rigid, but a slight tremor runs through her shoulders. She is trying very, very hard not to laugh.

I glance at her just in time to see her swallow it down. She blinks once, hard, forcing her expression back under control.

Thane continues to wait, his patience feeling like a weapon all its own.

“Anyone else?” he asks a second time.

The only sound in the chamber is the low crackle of fire.

Thane nods once, the gesture final.

“Good.”

Edric sighs, and a slow, reluctant acceptance settles across his features.

“I hope you’re right about her,” he says simply.

I don’t know if the words are meant for Thane or for me. Either way, the matter is settled. And this seat—the new eighth seat—is mine.

Thane’s hand settles on my knee beneath the table. No one else sees it, but I feel it everywhere.

It isn’t a reassurance or a request. It feels more like a claim, quiet and unquestioned, and some of the tension I was carrying begins to ease. I don’t react or let the moment show on my face, but I don’t move his hand away, either.

Valen leans forward and exhales through his nose. He had remained quiet throughout the exchange, letting Thane handle the argument. Now he takes hold of the conversation with practiced ease.

“We should move on,” he says, his tone light but firm enough that it doesn’t invite debate. “The attack at the ball. Let’s start there.”

Just like that, the shift is complete. The tension remains, but it now has direction. Edric doesn’t protest. Sienna doesn’t push back. The moment passes, and the council settles into the work before them as they have countless times before.

Edric speaks first. His voice is low, roughened by years of battle. “The castle was breached. Past our defenses. Past thewards.”

Sienna folds her hands together.

“Which means one of two things,” she says. “Either the Shadow Forces possess magics stronger than we accounted for . . . ”

She lets the implication hang in the air before continuing.

“Or they had help from the inside.”

The meaning is clear; there is a traitor in the capital.

The torches seem to burn hotter.

“Likely both,” Edric says gravely.