~Kaida Orion POV~
White light swallowed everything, and lanterns vanished, faces became shadows, and the basin shattered in my hands. The air filled with floating green characters...names, dates, dowry tallies, broken promises, and every grievance the root-ling stole. They spun above the courtyard like glowing leaves caught in a storm.
People gasped, someone shouted, while the two elders argued at once. A young wife burst into tears, wolves inside us stirred; anger always calls the beast.
Lupus grabbed my elbow. "Hold the circle!"
I forced breath into my chest, and my ears rang. The green light swirled faster, each fragment flared when someone in the crowd flinched. The Weaver was feeding already, turning hidden hurt into fuel, and if this continued, the pack would turn on itself and he would not need another vine, but I won't let that happen tonight.
