No one moved.
That was the thing Aelara noticed most. The room was full of people who knew how to react to things. Vaelor handled crises before they finished forming. Caelum moved before he thought. Lyra never stood still for long. But right now every single one of them was frozen.
Someone knew the name. Someone had been looking.
And now the seal was open.
Caelum: "Who."
It wasn't really a question. It came out flat and low, the way his voice got when something scared him and he refused to let it.
Lyra looked at Seraphine.
Everyone looked at Seraphine.
The old woman had gone very still the moment Lyra finished speaking. Her cup was still in her hands. She wasn't gripping it hard.
She was barely holding it. Like some part of her had already left the room and gone somewhere far back, somewhere old and cold.
Aelara: "You know who it is."
It wasn't a question either.
