RyderI step into the council chamber, the heavy wooden doors creaking under my hand. The scent of aged wood and waxed floors hits me first, then the sharp tang of metal from the ceremonial knives hung along the walls. The elders are already seated, lined in a semicircle that faces me and Alice at the head of the room. Their expressions are unreadable, each one guarding their thoughts behind decades of experience.I settle into the seat at the center, letting my shoulders drop for a moment, feeling the weight of every gaze on me. The council has been called for one reason, and one reason only: succession. The word sits heavy in my chest. It’s a conversation we’ve danced around for years, hinted at, threatened with, but never put to formal vote. Today changes that.Alice slides in beside me, her presence a quiet anchor. She doesn’t reach for my hand, not yet, but I feel her there. I nod slightly toward her, a silent acknowledgment. She meets my gaze, eyes cool, steady, unyielding. I ca
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