#Chapter 105 – Séance

Damon The ceremonial hall reeked of smoke and theater. Incense clung to the rafters like fog that had lost its way, thick and perfumed, masking the scent of cold stone and sweaty courtiers. Flames flickered low in wrought-iron braziers at each corner of the room, casting everything in shades of amber and deep shadows. The air was heavy. Expectant. I stood beside the Elders’ semi-circle, arms folded tight, posture calm. I looked like I belonged there. I didn’t feel like I did. Isabella stood at the center of the circle she’d drawn herself—chalk and ash traced in careful patterns on the floor. She wore deep indigo robes threaded with silver, her face veiled in translucent fabric that shimmered in the light. A deliberate echo of the Luna she’d lost. My first mate’s sister. I shouldn’t have allowed this. But I had. Because some part of me—foolish, grasping, tired—needed to see it through. To let her burn herself out in front of the court. Or to prove me wrong. I