The Council chamber became a storm of screaming and broken stone. Yeshua and Jessica crashed down from the ventilation shaft, landing hard on the polished floor. Yeshua’s eyes went straight to Florence. She stood frozen, staring at Vesta, or rather, at the Watcher that now wore Vesta's body like a glove.The Watcher-Vesta moved with chilling speed. Her silver eyes glowed in the dim red emergency light. She walked past the scattered councilors, past the terrified UN guards who didn't know whether to shoot their own leader. Her path was clear. Her target was Florence."You exposed a small rot," Watcher-Vesta's voice hissed, a layered sound that made the air itself vibrate. "But the true corruption, the true weakness, lies in hearts like yours. Hearts that pretend to be light, but are filled with pride and ambition."Florence stumbled back, her mind reeling. The words hit her, twisting old wounds. Pride. Ambition. These were the very things that had driven her, had made her powerful,