KELLY THOMPSON'S POV

The heavy door to the council chamber groaned on its ancient hinges as Jason and I stepped over the threshold, a silent omen that whispered of the uneasy peace we were about to navigate. The room stretched before us, lined with faces that bore the weight of past hostility; each one a former enemy, their eyes briefly flicking toward us in wary acknowledgment before skittering away.

I felt it then-the palpable tension that hung in the air like a thick fog, a tangible force ...