Cyrus’s POV

Kael didn’t move for a long time after Mira left the chamber. He stared at the sealed report like it carried more than orders. I stayed near the door, waiting for his next command, but none came. The silence in the room felt shaped, not empty, like something once spoken had just been buried. I’d seen that look in him once before, years ago, the night he lost her.

He finally turned, speaking of strategy as if nothing had changed. I didn’t correct him. The small breaks in ...