The council chamber was a battlefield of parchment and poison.
Lord Vesper stood at the head of the petitioners' table; a thick document unrolled before him. Behind him, forty-seven nobles stood in solidarity, conservatives all, their faces carved from stone. Lord Halden was there. So were a dozen others who had voted against the charter.
"Your Highnesses," Vesper began, his voice dripping with false deference, "I come before you not as an enemy of the crown, but as its defender."
Aeron's expression didn't change. "State your challenge."
"The Human Rights Charter is illegal." Vesper tapped the document. "By the ancient laws of this kingdom, only wolf nobility have the authority to create law. Humans are not nobility. Therefore, they cannot be granted rights by royal decree. The charter must be repealed."
Murmurs rippled through the chamber.
Kael leaned forward. "The charter was passed by this council. The council has authority."
