Chapter 58: The Scalpel and the Storm
The war council convened not in the grand hall, but in the secured intimacy of the intelligence hub. The air was no longer thick with the shock of Alaric's betrayal, but with the grim pragmatism of its aftermath. Kael stood before the central holodisplay, which now showed a topographical map of the Northern Wastes, the Serpent's Tail Glacier a jagged white scar at its heart.
"The team will be small. No more than four," Kael declared, his voice echoing faintly in the chamber. "Speed and stealth are our only allies. This is not an invasion; it is a biopsy."
Lyra stood at his side, her arms crossed as she studied the map. "They'll need to be self-sufficient. Once they cross into the Wastes, there will be no support, no extraction until the mission is complete."
