CHAPTER 140
The next morning, the council chamber was changed. The table had been cleared of the scattered scrolls, but their absence was a silence of its own, heavy and unspoken. Grace sat in her seat with a sharper stillness than the day before, her crown set slightly askew as though she had put it on without thought. Around her, councillors shifted uneasily.
Outside the doors, the sound of boots rang on stone. One by one, the soldiers were led in. They were not dressed in fine armor, but in simple uniforms, travel-stained from being pulled from duty in haste. Some stood straight, others kept their eyes low.
Mathew Sterrn spoke first, his voice calm, carrying across the chamber. "These men all served under the late commander at different times.Their names appear across the records we examined. Today they will answer directly."
Grace gestured with her hand. "Begin."
