The council did not end so much as it was forced to stop.
Cassian closed the session after the fourth attempt to turn the two-week recovery period into a legal leash, the second proposal to send an armed delegation to the guest wing for "formal greeting," and one particularly foolish question about whether Arik's oath could be accelerated if the core was allowed to draw blood directly.
Severin smiled at that one.
The counselor sat down before Cassian had to answer.
By the time the inner doors of the Golden Court closed behind them, Arik's shoulders had gone rigid beneath the formal Nurian coat, and the gold beneath his bandages pulsed in slow, controlled irritation. He had not sat on the throne. He had not accepted the oath. He had not set fire to the chamber.
Cassian probably considered that a successful meeting.
Arik considered it a warning.
