The council chamber emptied fast. Aiden had already stormed out with his guards, barking orders about reinforced patrols at the outer gates. The rest of the room smelled like sweat, old parchment, and the faint metallic tang of mana residue from the argument spells that had nearly been cast.
Catherine waited until the last noble shuffled away before she caught Flora by the elbow and dragged her into the narrow service corridor behind the throne dais.
"Talk," Catherine said. She kept her voice low. No one else was supposed to hear this.
Flora pulled her arm free but didn't walk away. She was still in the same leather-and-chain armor from the morning drill, hair sticking to her forehead. "What's left to say, Mother? You heard him. The Sky Dungeon is spitting out stronger waves every day. He needs us on the front line. All of us."
