Uriel rubbed his temples as he sat back in the high-backed chair behind the council desk, eyes fixed on the endless stack of documents before him.

The parchment felt heavier tonight, as if the weight of the kingdom itself had seeped into every line of ink. Reports. Complaints. Requests for reassurance. Arguments between nobles who no longer trusted the ground beneath their feet now that magic and shifting had gone silent.

The palace was too quiet.

He exhaled slowly and leaned forward again, ...