Soren felt something twist in his chest that had nothing to do with the shard's cold presence. Veyr was defending him, publicly, deliberately, placing his own standing at risk. For what? A street rat elevated to house Blade? A liability who had brought the Church's wrath upon them?
The Inquisitors exchanged glances, a silent communication passing between them. The leader's marble features remained impassive, but something shifted in his posture, not retreat, but recalculation.
"Then let House Velrane speak for him, in the Cathedral," he finally said, voice carrying new inflection. "If your loyalty is so strong, Lord Veyr, you will stand beside your Blade as witness. Before Solmir's light, the truth will burn clear."
It wasn't concession. It was escalation. Soren recognized the trap even as it closed around them both, not just the accused now, but his defender as well, both to be questioned under circumstances where the Church controlled every aspect of the proceeding.
