The silence that followed Kael's response wasn't immediate—it built up. First came the compression of the atmosphere, as if the very air had been pulled into an invisible point in the center of the hall. Then, the weight. Not physical, but present enough to be felt in the way some of the vampires on the sides adjusted their posture, as if, instinctively, their bodies recognized that something had been displaced beyond what was expected.
And then… came the voices.
Not one.
Not two.
But several, arising almost simultaneously, though not perfectly coordinated—which, in itself, already said a lot. It wasn't an order. It was a reaction.
"Insolent—"
"You dare—"
"Before the King—"
The words didn't end.
