The two women looked at each other for several seconds, a moment of silent communication that felt weighted with history Jorghan didn't understand.
Not hostility exactly, but certainly not friendship.
Professional respect between leaders who didn't particularly like each other but recognized they were necessary to each other's existence.
Finally, Madayanti broke the silence, her voice carrying authority that turned the words from suggestion into command.
"It seems like we have all the members present.
Please, be seated."
The standing clan heads returned to their thrones with synchronized movement.
Madayanti took her own seat with fluid grace that belied her armored weight. Indriyani moved to the last empty throne—the one to Jorghan's right—and settled into it with the same unhurried precision she'd shown entering.
Thirteen thrones, thirteen clan heads, the circle complete for the first time in decades.
The Council of Thirteen Clans was officially convened.
