"So many of them."
His eyes narrowed faintly, not in anger, but in something like curiosity.
"You truly want me dead."
He let the words sit. Then, with a note of mock regret that made the chamber feel somehow even colder....
"How unfortunate."
A visible tremor passed through some of the accused. One lowered his head. Another swallowed so hard the motion was visible. Because his humor was worse than rage. Rage could erupt. Humor like this suggested control. And controlled cruelty was harder to survive.
Then his gaze settled. On Elder Caelum. Something sharpened in the air, though no one could have said how. His lips curved again.
"Hehehe…"
The quiet sound slipped from him almost privately.
"Elder Caelum…"
His voice softened almost into invitation.
"Come."
A small tilt of his head.
"Come over here and take a seat."
Caelum looked stricken. His mouth opened. Closed. His hands twitched at his sides. But he did not move. No one moved.
