The heavy double doors of the grand assembly hall swung open with a slow, grinding echo that resonated across the polished white-stone floor. Outside, the slate-grey mists of the Shadowfall Domain had lifted slightly, replaced by a crisp, biting midday chill that promised an early winter across the high northern passes.
There were one hundred and fifty-one chapters remaining until the final, absolute ratification of the continental treaties—one hundred and fifty-one milestones standing between a fractured continent of warring factions and a new era governed by unbreakable law.
I stood at the center of the elevated white-stone dais, my hands resting lightly against the polished mahogany lectern. My midnight-blue ceremonial tunic was immaculate, every seam straight, my dark hair pinned bac
