In a smaller manor on the eastern edge of the capital, Lord Kellan was not praying. He was packing.His wife stood in the doorway of their bedroom, watching him throw clothes and documents into a travel chest with the frantic energy of a man who knew the executioner was already at his door. "Kellan," she said, her voice trembling. "Kellan, stop. Talk to me. What's happening?""We're leaving," he said, not looking at her. "Tonight. We'll take the children and go to the outer territories. The independent kingdoms. Anywhere the Council's reach is weaker.""Leaving? But why? The war is over. The monsters are gone. We should be celebrating.""The monsters are gone, but the reckoning is just beginning." Lord Kellan finally stopped his frantic packing and turned to face his wife. His face was haggard, his eyes hollow with fear. "I made a mistake, Elara. A terrible mistake. Years ago, when our house was on the verge of ruin, I made a deal with people I shouldn't have. I gave them information.

The announcements from the other kingdoms followed over the next several days, each one adding to the pressure that was crushing the cult networks. The Valdris kingdom, ancient rivals of the Roshars, surprised everyone by announcing not only matching bounties on cultists, but additional rewards for information leading to the arrest of collaborators. The Aethelgard went further, declaring that any noble found to have supported the cults would be stripped of their titles and their lands forfeited to the crown. The Aurelian Empire, Diana's homeland, announced a special tribunal to investigate cult activity within its borders, with Louise herself serving as the chief judge.Even the smaller kingdoms and the independent territories that usually stayed out of Council politics joined the effort. The coastal principalities announced harbor patrols to prevent cultists from fleeing by sea. The mountain duchies sealed their passes against escape. The desert emirates offered their fastest sand-s

James was silent for a long moment, the firelight casting deep shadows across his weathered face. When he spoke again, his voice was different, heavier, carrying the weight of memories that had been buried for millennia."The cults we’ve been hunting on Blue Star are merely the tendrils," he said. "The true roots go far deeper. And the leaders of those roots are not ordinary men and women driven by greed or ambition. They are survivors, Alex. Survivors of a kind that the hundred worlds have never seen before."He gestured for Alex to sit, then settled back into his own chair. The fire crackled softly in the hearth. Outside, the distant sounds of celebration still drifted through the windows, but they seemed far away now, muffled by the gravity of what was being shared."To understand the cults, you must understand where their leaders came from. The greater universe is vast beyond comprehension thousands of original worlds, each one a realm unto itself, with its own laws, its own power

The Crimson Circle's representative turned toward her, his scarred face twisting with anger. "Then what do you propose? That we hide in our holes until the hunters drag us out one by one? That we cower in the dark while the Council burns everything we've built?""I propose that we find new leadership and a new direction." The woman's voice was flat, unafraid. "Our current strategies have failed. Our networks are shattered. Our followers are scattered. We need someone who can unite us. someone with the power and the vision to turn this crisis into an opportunity. Otherwise, we are simply waiting for death."The room fell silent. The weight of her words pressed against the assembled cultists like a physical force, and for a long moment, no one spoke. The torches flickered, their cold blue flames casting long shadows across the iron table.Then the air changed.It started as a faint vibration, barely perceptible a hum that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. The cultists

At the Roshar palace, Alex was getting ready to leave for the meeting when James stopped him at the door."Where are you going?" James asked, his ancient eyes studying his great-grandson."To the Council. They're discussing the cult's sudden rise in threat. I should be there.""No." James's voice was gentle but firm. "You shouldn't."Alex frowned. "The Dark Lord has unified the cults. A peak Immortal King is leading them. This is exactly the kind of threat I should be helping to face.""You just got married," James said quietly. "A few weeks ago. You've been gone for three hundred years, Alex. You should focus on yourself right now and you need to have a proper rest so for next few months don’t think about anything. The Council will manage without you and there are a lot of people who can handle those things. "But…""The Council has many Immortal Kings. The founding families have more. We have faced threats like this before, and we will face them again. Your presence at this meeting