The council chamber of House Okoye was a cathedral of iron and shadow. Long banners hung from the rafters, black silk stitched with the silver flame—the Covenant's mark of dominion.
Lord Okoye sat at the head of the obsidian table, shoulders draped in a cloak that seemed heavier than iron. His face, carved with age and grief, revealed nothing.
Around him, the Covenant envoys quarreled like carrion birds.
"Her strike was no accident!" Envoy Malrek thundered, slamming his ringed fist against the table. "The girl is dangerous. She wields the Emberheart itself—her mother's relic—and the people whisper her name. If we do not stamp her out now, she will become a symbol."
"She is already a symbol," hissed another envoy, a woman with eyes like cold steel. "The more blood we spill in the streets, the more that symbol grows. Fear feeds fire, and you know it."
Lord Okoye raised one hand. Silence fell.
"She is my daughter," he said at last. His voice was flat, but beneath it lay a weight that made even Malrek hesitate. "Do not mistake that truth for weakness. She was cast out for a reason, and she returns only to spit on my name."
Malrek sneered. "Then prove it. Bring her in chains before the people. Make her a warning."
Lord Okoye's eyes flickered, just for a heartbeat. Chains. The word dug too close to old wounds.
Instead, he leaned forward, voice low, controlled. "No. We will not give her martyrdom. We will not chase fire with oil."
He tapped the table, and a map of Umbra's Gate shimmered to life in red light. "We will starve her rebellion. Cut off her allies, bleed her supply lines, choke her movements until she has nowhere to run. Then—when the city itself turns against her—we strike."
The envoys murmured approval.
Malrek scowled, but bowed his head. "As you command."
For the first time that night, Lord Okoye allowed himself to breathe. Alone, in the silence after the council dispersed, his mask faltered.
On the table, his hand trembled as it brushed against the glowing map.
"Nyasha…" he whispered, the word heavy with both venom and longing. "Why did you have to come back?"