Elena’s POV

They brought me back into the council before dawn, with my wrists bound, and two guards at my back. I didn’t fight. I had no strength left for it, and besides, what would be the point? My silence would anger them more than any plea.

Elder Hayes was already seated at the center of the long table. The years hadn’t softened him; they had only sharpened the cruelty in his eyes. His robe of crimson and gold looked too fine for the hour, his rings glinting in the torchlight as he ...