The council chamber was crowded when I arrived, the long table covered with maps and reports, the air thick with tension and the smoke from the torches that flickered in their iron sconces. The captains and advisors had gathered from every corner of the North: from the Mountain Watch, from the coastal garrisons, and from the eastern and western passes. Their faces were pale, their eyes shadowed with exhaustion and grief. They had come to hear Torvin's assessment of the Rift, the first official report since our return from the depths.
