Chapter 29: The Exchange
The Hall of Balance rippled with unrest, a hundred whispers colliding like waves against stone.
Noblemen leaned toward one another, their words sharp as knives, their gazes flicking from Lord Azarion Flameborne to the northern Lord across the marble floor.
At the center of it all, Head Councilor Serathis lifted his staff and struck it once upon the polished stone floor. The sharp echo silenced little, so he drew upon his authority, his voice booming across the chamber.
"Silence."
The command cracked through the chamber like thunder. Serathis Durn, High Councilor of Caelmont, rose from his dais, his voice carrying with the weight of centuries.
The murmurs shriveled, and one by one the restless lords fell quiet, though the air remained taut with simmering hostilities.
"Lord Flameborne," Serathis continued, "even without this marriage, your alliance with Frostmere should not be severed. Ashmere and the North can still maintain peace."
