Hollis stood among overturned council seats while five occupied ward circles turned slowly beneath his armor and the stolen key. His gauntlet pinned that foundation key against the floor, keeping two healers and three guards inside its still connected routes.
Beyond those five, Ferra's finished stakes drained every verified empty branch into its own prepared receiving chamber.
Hajin stepped through the doorway beside Didi while Loccy kept the connected perimeter wall fixed outside.
Vella stayed with the treatment stations, Juna held the rafters, and Ferra checked her repaired fittings beyond the outer courtyard. Two independent royal scribes waited behind the doorway screen with separate investigation records, keeping their pens outside the turning circles.
The nearer scribe dragged his stool sideways until the screen stopped hiding the floor beside Hollis's feet.
Didi set the renewal documents on a desk beyond his reach while Hajin approached the first overturned seat.
