Chapter 426: The Vine Key

**Thelma Zane’s POV** The calmness around us was deceptive, a fragile veneer over an unsettled reality. The elves were clinging to a tenuous peace, while the search for the cultists yielded no results. This lack of progress didn’t surprise me. With everyone’s attention consumed by the relentless struggle for power, it wouldn’t take much for even a wounded rat to plunder the castle’s treasury, let alone a determined group of cultists who thrived on chaos and secrecy. The Council of Elders had gone silent. Observing the diminishing presence of their soldiers on the streets and the growing dominance of the Crown Prince’s private forces, I could tell their grip was slipping. They were no better off than we were, teetering on the edge of relevance. "How utterly boring," I muttered to myself, pulling the thick curtains closed. Frustrated, I ran my fingers through my hair in an effort to calm the gnawing anxiety within me. Escape would have been simple for me. On a dark, windy