"Come then," she said.
---
The hall filled.
Elara watched it fill from the antechamber — not directly, through the shadow guard positioned at the internal sight line, whose quiet descriptions gave her the picture without requiring her to be visible before the moment was correct. The nobles arriving in sequence, the senior administrators taking their designated positions, the judiciary representatives in their formal capacity along the left wall. Director Hann, she noted, had positioned himself precisely where she had expected him to position himself — the place that communicated full institutional support for the proceedings without appearing to have pre-coordinated with the throne. A careful man. She appreciated careful men.
The room was full.
