Emilia strode purposefully down the hallway toward the meeting room, her heels clicking against the polished wooden floor with each determined step. She could feel her frustration simmering under the surface, a storm brewing in her chest. Elder Elias’s presence, the smugness in his tone as he’d brushed past her—it was a warning she couldn’t ignore. She needed to know what he was planning in that room.

When she arrived at the heavy oak doors of the meeting room, she squared her shoulders and moved to open it, only to find two guards blocking her path. She frowned, trying to mask her irritation. “Excuse me,” she said, her voice as...