Chapter 61 — Fractured Alliances
The Obsidian Throne room still carried the scent of blood and smoke from the recent purges, a grim reminder that victory was never clean.
Cairis sat upon the throne like a king carved from shadow and flame, his posture radiating absolute authority. Liora stood at his right side, the Veilheart Keystone suspended in a gentle orbit above her palm, its soft twilight glow illuminating the faces of the gathered lords. The court had been summoned for what was supposed to be a session of consolidation. Instead, it quickly became a battlefield of words.
Grimgor Ashreaver stepped forward first, his massive frame casting a long shadow across the cracked stone floor. His axe rested on one shoulder, still bearing faint traces of black ichor from the last battle. His voice boomed like grinding boulders.
