Chapter 84

• “SILENCE!!” Leo shouted, his voice booming over the chaos that had erupted in the council chamber. The room fell quiet almost instantly, the council members staring at him with wide eyes, their fear still palpable but now held in check by the force of his command.
• He took a deep breath, trying to steady himself as he looked around at the gathered faces. “We cannot afford to fall apart now. Adrian has aligned with Tiana, and that makes them a greater threat than we anticipated, but we are not defeated. We will not let fear control us.”
• Kira, the sharp-eyed woman who had been one of the most vocal during the earlier discussions, leaned forward, her expression intense. “But how do we fight them, Leo? An army of the dead, and now Tiana with her knowledge of our defenses? We need a plan, and we need it now.”