The council chamber was crowded, the air thick with tension and the smoke from the torches that flickered in their iron sconces. The long table was covered with maps and reports, but at its center lay the fragments. Runa had brought from the Rift; their symbols pulsing faintly, as if they were counting down to something terrible.
Torvin stood at the head of the table, his scarred face carved from stone. He had been silent for a long moment, his pale eyes fixed on the fragments, his hands braced against the wood. The other captains and advisors watched him, waiting, their faces drawn, their eyes shadowed.
"Speak," Kaelen said finally. "Tell us what the seismancers have found."
Torvin looked up, his gaze meeting his Duke's. "The main seal over the Rift is failing."
