"Where?" Elara asked.
"The Council chambers. You can't attend the session, but you can be outside when they arrive. Surrounded by supporters. Looking calm and righteous while Aldous looks desperate and corrupt." Cornelius checked his pocket watch.
"They'll start gathering in an hour. You should be there first."
---
The Council chambers occupied a grand building in the religious district – marble columns, stained glass, every inch designed to project holy authority.
By the time Council members began arriving at 2 PM, the building was surrounded.
Hundreds of people filled the plaza – clergy in their robes, common folk who'd donated to the charitable fund, minor nobility who'd attended the dinner and witnessed the confrontation.
Not quite a mob, but definitely not a peaceful assembly.
And standing on the chamber steps, flanked by Sister Catherine and a dozen supportive clergy members, was Elara.
