Chapter 120 - Fury

The war hall breathed darkness. The torches mounted in iron produced tongues of light that barely managed to bite at the contours of the stone slabs and tattered banners; the rest was swallowed by a thick gloom that smelled of iron, old smoke, and restrained sweat. The echo of distant footsteps and the creaking of floorboards seemed to measure the time between unspoken accusations. On the central table, an extended map dominated the room: parchment marked with black lines, stains of dried blood that gleamed like dark wood borers, and daggers stabbed into positions like needles in a wounded body.