The Matrons may be watching. Let them. If they move against Amelia…They will move through me first.
The summons comes before nightfall. Not through messenger. Through blood. The sigil on my forearm ignites without warning, Matron script carving itself in silver light across my skin.
Command appearance. Immediate.
Ron sees it flare.
“They’re not waiting,” he says.
“No,” I reply. “They aren’t.”
The chamber they choose is not Nytherian. It is Velcryn-made. They overlay their own ward-structure inside one of the high towers, a circular room now lined with pale stone that does not belong to this realm. Six thrones form a crescent.
The Matrons sit as if carved there.
I remain standing. Ron does not enter the circle, but he does not leave the doorway either. His presence is deliberate. Witness. Guard. Warning.
Serida speaks first.
“Prince Zeidan,” she begins.
The title lands heavily.
“You have been observed operating beyond sanctioned authority. Aligning military judgment with external political influence.”
“Define influence,” I say evenly.
“Nytheria’s heir.”
They do not say Amelia’s name. They reduce her to position.
“You have allowed a foreign bond to alter succession trajectory.”
“Incorrect,” I reply. “I have chosen alignment.”
A ripple of irritation passes between them. Yrelda’s voice cuts in.
“You were warned about divided loyalty.”
“My loyalty is not divided.”
“Your power signature has changed,” Serida says. “You no longer anchor solely to Velcryn’s line.”
I do not deny it.
“Velcryn does not survive rulers who fracture allegiance,” another Matron states.
“No,” I answer. “It survives rulers who adapt.”
Silence. Then the blade.
“Effective immediately,” Serida says, voice smooth as polished stone, “you are relieved of primary succession authority.”
Ron stiffens in the doorway.
“You will retain blood status,” she continues. “But command jurisdiction transfers to interim regency until stability is reassessed.”
There it is. Stripped. Cleanly. Politely. As if they are adjusting a ledger. The chamber waits for reaction. For outrage. For plea. For negotiation. I give them none.
