Zeph, one of the lords, her gaze lingered on Sofia for a moment longer than it should have, the disappointment in her eyes no longer hidden as she stepped forward just enough for her voice to carry across the gathering. "This won't please the prime lord," she said, her tone calm but firm, like someone who had already seen how this would end and didn't like it one bit. "You know very well this kind of judgment will not sit well with the one who holds the highest authority among us."
Sofia didn't even hesitate. "Enough, mermaid," she snapped, cutting her off sharply as she turned toward the crowd instead, uninterested in warnings that didn't suit her plans. Her eyes swept across the tribe members, taking in their eager faces, their restless excitement, and that ugly hunger for punishment that had been building for far too long.
