The war room was dimly lit, fire crackling in the hearth, casting flickering shadows across the maps that now dominated the long oak table. Kael stood at the head, arms folded, his usual calm replaced by a brooding stillness. He hadn't spoken since the meeting began, eyes fixed on a mark Aria had made earlier a possible ambush point near the western ridge.
Aria sat across from him, back straight, hands clasped on the table. Everyone kept glancing her way not just because she'd spoken aloud yesterday, but because the storm inside her had finally broken the surface. She wasn't just surviving anymore. She was stepping into power, and it showed in every movement, every glance.
Still, a piece of her trembled beneath the surface. Her voice had escaped without her meaning it to. After years of silence, it had risen like a scream underwater urgent, raw, and terrifying. And now that it was out, there was no putting it back.
