The chamber was circular. The walls were not stone but glass, reinforced with a lattice of silver metal that hummed faintly when the wind blew outside. Through the glass, the Court gardens were visible. Manicured hedges. Still fountains. Statues of past High Councilors looking down with blank eyes.
Inside, the air was conditioned. Cold. Dry. It smelled of ozone and old paper.
Twenty seats surrounded the central dais. Half were occupied. The Dominion delegation sat to the right, clad in uniform grey. The Court elders sat to the left, in robes of white and gold. The Visitor command sat at the back, silent observers. Varen was there. He gave a barely perceptible nod when I entered.
I took the seat designated for the Initiative. Ezra sat beside me. The chair was hard. Unforgiving.
High Cou
