It felt cooler than normal in the council room. It seemed as though each brick in the walls had been suspiciously dipped before being placed.

The long obsidian table encircled me like a trap as I stood in the central ring. Each of the twelve council members' faces was carved into stone as they sat around it. Some are upset. Some were scared. Some people fail terribly while feigning neutrality.

With her arms crossed tightly, Maya stood rigid behind me. Beside her, Edwin was carrying a ...