Chapter 86

• Kael’s Pov
• The weight of the day bore down heavily on my shoulders. I had barely sat through a moment of silence since dawn. Meetings upon meetings with the elders had drained what little patience I had left. Every passing hour was a reminder of the instability crawling its way into the borders of our kingdom. Rogue attacks increasing. Border tensions rising. And now with the three clans arriving tomorrow for the council meeting, my mind was far from peace.
• I had just gotten back to my chambers, the air thick with the scent of burned herbs and war parchment. I didn’t want to see anyone—not the guards, not the cooks, not even Zane. I needed to clear my head, and the only place I could do that was within the quiet of my chambers.