#Chapter 26: Across the Table

The day of the final debate arrived far too early. I got in before anyone else, the main chamber still dim and quiet, chairs not yet filled with the sharp angles of power. I set up at the central table with Richard’s talking points in hand—a clean folder of annotated printouts, highlighters tucked into the pocket like they’d do something to settle my nerves. I was seated at the table beside key pack representatives, right in the line of fire. Directly across from David’s lead advisor. The seat hadn’t been random. The first half of the debate was an exercise in restraint. Every question from David’s camp had teeth, thinly veiled behind policy jargon and polite smiles. They prodded at Richard’s leadership—"emotional instability" this, "internal favoritism" that. The word "transparency" was wielded like a knife, thrown again and again with just enough plausible deniability to avoid outright accusation. A representative from the Western Border Pack leaned forward, fingers steepled.