Mira shot Soren a look—one that said, This just got worse.
They were escorted deeper into the Tribunal complex, climbing a spiral staircase carved from pale stone, the kind that echoed every step. At the top stood another chamber: circular, domed, lined with robed officials who watched with the blank intensity of hawks deciding whether the mouse was worth killing.
At the center, a single figure waited.
Kaelor.
He stood with his hands behind his back, expression carved from iron.
"Coren. Mira." His voice carried easily. "Step forward."
They obeyed.
Kaelor studied them both, slow, deliberate. He didn't acknowledge the room full of officials who were obviously expecting a performance. He focused only on the two people who mattered.
"Coren," he said, "you used Aura in the course of your duty."
Soren didn't blink. "Yes."
"Why?"
"Because the Lady was being attacked."
Kaelor nodded once. "Correct."
