Chapter 72: Lady Lucy (2)
The hall chosen for the meeting wasn’t the grand atrium reserved for ceremonies or state affairs. This one was smaller—intimate by comparison—but more grand and organized than the other as torches lined the walls, casting long shadows across the floor. It was used only for matters of grave importance, that concerned the clans, and was attended by only the main family and the elders.
Tonight, the flames burned low, as if dimmed in mourning.
One by one, they entered.
Lady Nandi was the first among them to arrive. Dressed in a blue glowing gown as she made her way over to the seat nearest to the head, and beside her walked Neferura, the First Princess. It seems both mother and daughter decided to come to the meeting together which was a surprise and the same not Nandi’s little pet has Mankhaura his dead, as she also sat beside her mother as both their shwt stood behind them.
The second Princess Talibah came after them as she took one of the empty seats in the hall, with her shwt also
Menkara arrived last among the siblings, his usual air of mischief replaced with pale dread. He stepped into the hall with his usual calm and poised steps, his eyes shifting toward the elders already seated. His breath was steady but also measured.
The elders were already arranged on the crescent dais that lined the back of the chamber. Of the twenty, only fourteen had made it in time. Most were silent, faces carved from stone, their years of discipline showing in the stillness of their posture. But a few glanced toward the family as they entered, studying body language, gauging reactions.
It was clear now that some of them had been informed. Their eyes flicked toward one another—not in confusion, but in grim expectation.
The rest, those who hadn’t heard, exchanged confusing glances. Their eyes narrowed, reading the tension in the room, the whispers that had followed them in.
A low murmur swept through the room as people settled into their seats, but no one dared speak above a hush. Everyone could feel it—that something had cracked in the night.
And whatever it was, it was big enough to summon the core of the Earth Clan from their beds.