Lucian's Pov
The room was colder than it should have been.
I stepped inside, the heavy oak doors shutting behind me with a thud that echoed across the room like a warning. A semicircle of elders sat before me, all showing various shades of authority—deep crimson, gold-threaded indigo, dull slate. Their gazes rose as one. Some curious. Most hostile.
Not a single greeting.
"Lucian," Elder Marek said, his tone clipped.
I guess no formalities either.
"We called this meeting because we seem to be owed an explanation."
I didn't sit. "You're referring to Ignatius."
A different elder, Saphira of the Western Region, crossed her arms. "We're referring to your silence. A week ago, Elder Ignatius received an urgent summons from this fortress. From you. Since then, no one's seen him. His entire region has gone dark. And we find out, only after pressing your staff, that he came here alone and hasn't returned."
I inhaled slowly through my nose. "He's not returning."
