FIA
For a moment, it looked like the meeting was ending.
Elder Matthias gathered his papers with slow, deliberate movements. Marcus shifted in his chair like he was already halfway out of the room. Elder Vera's attention softened, her gaze drifting, the way people did when a matter had been decided and filed away in their minds.
Cian spoke before anyone could stand.
"Give us time to prepare," he said.
It was not a command. Not quite. It landed more like a careful request, measured and controlled, though I knew the restraint it took for him to phrase it that way. "A few hours. My mate has been through enough already. I need to be there."
Elder Matthias paused. His fingers stilled on the edge of the table. He did not sit back down.
"That will not be possible," he said.
Cian turned his head toward him, slow and precise. "The hearing is scheduled in a few hours. That is time."
"It is not about time," Elder Vera said.
