No one moved.
The chamber felt colder now.
Not magically.
Not atmospherically.
Politically.
Because in one motion—
Luneth had torn open a truth they'd been trying not to acknowledge.
This wasn't just a prince returning.
This was a center of gravity shifting.
Lindarion finally spoke.
His voice was quiet. Not soft.
Purposefully precise.
"None of this was planned."
"I know," Luneth said, without looking at him. "That's why it works."
Lindarion turned his gaze back to the council.
"I'm leaving Solrendel," he said. "We have more rune sites to investigate. More signs that something ancient is waking. I'll return when I have answers."
"You think we'll just let you vanish again?" Velarien asked.
"I think you'd rather have me disappear than disrupt your next policy review."
"Do not mock the council," Maeralyn snapped.
"I'm not," Lindarion said. "I'm reminding it that the longer you stay here, the more ground you lose."
Darethin took a single step forward.
