Chapter 48 — When Silence Is Not Enough
The first failure came quietly.
No screams split the sky.
No city burned.
No banners fell.
Which, Elowen would later realize, made it far more dangerous.
The message arrived folded neatly, sealed with wax, written in a careful hand that suggested its author had taken great pains not to sound alarmist.
To the Assembly,
We attempted the circle as described. We listened. We stayed. We shared the watch.
It was not enough.
The village was called Ashmere, tucked between forested hills north of the old trade road. It had attempted the practice after hearing of Lethryn's success. The people there were patient, diligent by all early reports, ideal candidates.
And yet, something had gone wrong.
Elowen stood motionless in the council chamber as the letter was read aloud. Around her, murmurs rose confusion, unease, the faint crackle of fear trying to reassert itself.
Kael said nothing.
He didn't need to.
