(Isla)
I didn’t rush to speak.
They were already where they needed to be, lowered without command, held there by something they couldn’t fight. The weight in the chamber stayed steady, not shifting, not breaking. I let it sit long enough for them to feel it fully.
Then I spoke.
“You don’t speak unless I allow it,” I said.
My voice didn’t rise, and it didn’t need to. It carried through the chamber without effort, settling into the space they had left open. No one moved against it.
Derek tried anyway.
“Isla,” he said, his voice breaking before he could steady it. “Please, just listen to me.”
“No,” I said.
The word stopped him before anything else could follow. He froze where he was, still lowered, still unable to lift his head fully. This time, I was the one who ended it.
“You don’
