"We had no idea that the Red Moon would appear," Lord Valor said calmly, though the terror in his eyes betrayed the lie before the words had fully settled into the air.
Kaelvryn did not blink, he remained seated upon the throne, spine straight, fingers resting lightly upon the carved armrests, yet something in the air around him shifted almost imperceptibly.
The temperature dropped without warning, a slow and unnatural chill creeping along the stone walls, seeping through silk and velvet alike.
Several council members inhaled sharply, a faint mist formed at the edges of their breath.
Valor's composure faltered by a fraction. "My king," he added quickly, voice thinning, "the astronomical readings were inconsistent this month. The rise was irregular. We could not have predicted the early emergence."
Kael's eyes darkened.
"You expect me to believe," he said softly, "that every scholar in this kingdom failed simultaneously?"
