Chapter 17
Chapter 17
Issa and Leandros stand before the Senate commission to hear their fate. Gaius Valerius produces a final witness, but the clerk's testimony holds. The commission rules in their favor, yet Valerius reveals a secret that changes everything: Marcus knew about the forged letters all along and allowed himself to be arrested to protect a deeper truth about the scrolls.
The Senate chamber was cold in the morning light. Oil lamps still burned along the walls, their flames pale against the grey sky that pressed against the high windows. Issa stood at the threshold, Leandros beside her, and felt the weight of every eye in the room.
The commissioners were already seated. Varius at the center, his face unreadable. The other senators flanked him like a row of stone statues. Gaius Valerius sat apart, his hands folded on the table before him, his expression calm in a way that made Issa's stomach tighten.
She had expected triumph. She had expected fear. Instead, she saw patience. The patience of a man who knew something they did not.
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