The gathering did not end cleanly.
Once the baron had spoken and Atlas had answered, the quality of attention in the room shifted. Men who had been measuring ledgers began measuring the four of them instead. No one approached with open challenge.
No one offered open alliance. They simply adjusted their positions so that lines of sight remained clear and conversations dropped to the pitch reserved for things that would be repeated later.
Atlas kept his voice even when a second clerk from House Mereth asked whether the southern pass would remain open for certain families.
"It will remain open as long as the weight on the board stays where it is," Atlas said.
The clerk recorded nothing visible, but his eyes recorded everything.
