POV: Caius

The map is spread across the long table in the strategy room, edges weighted with the same stones we have used for months. Three territories marked in different inks. Trade routes. Border strengths. The places where old alliances still hold and the places where they have begun to thin. I have looked at versions of this map for years. Tonight it looks different because the question on the table is no longer theoretical.

Ayla sits at the near side of the table with her hands folded loosely in front of her. Ryker stands to my right, arms crossed. Zane leans against the far edge, attention sharp despite the...