Jackson’s POV

The air in the council chamber felt heavier than usual when I walked in. The fire that burned in the stone hearth crackled faintly, filling the silence that lingered among the men already seated around the long oak table. Their expressions were grim, guarded like wolves ready to turn on one of their own.

A muscle in my jaw twitched. I’d been summoned the moment I returned from seeing the seer, barely given the chance to clean the lingering scent of smoke and blood from my ...