Ember Frost’s POV

My father looked squarely at the bald elder, his tone calm but unmistakably hard. "I believe Elder Thane makes a fair point, Elder Donald," he said, his gaze never shifting from the stubborn old man who refused to drop the issue. "With danger looming over us, our attention should be on the real threat, don’t you agree?"

Anyone with half a brain would have taken the cue and let the matter rest.

But Elder Donald?

No—he clung to his anger like it was a badge of ...