Chapter 35 · Untitled Chapter

The morning sun had barely cleared the high perimeter wall when the heavy cedar latch rattled, echoing across the marble threshold. Two attendants pushed the double doors of the majlis fully open, letting the cold, crisp Riyadh morning flood the hall alongside the sharp scent of damp courtyard stone and distant street dust.

Outside, the long vigil at the gate had broken. The men who had waited in the outer gravel drive throughout the night moved forward in a murmuring wave, their crisp white thobes rustling as they crossed into the perimeter of the hall.

Elders, cousins, and representatives from the merchant houses filed in with measured steps, glancing warily between my uncle, the untouched paper upon the low table, and Bandar standing an arm’s length behind me.

Bandar did not shift his weight, nor did he raise his voice to demand their silence. His presence alone commanded the space, an immovable pillar of calm authority that set the perimeter of the room without uttering a single threat.