The Emerald Kingdom palace, usually a bastion of serene botanical beauty, had transformed overnight into the bustling, high-stakes nerve centre of a continental conflict. The grand ballroom, a massive circular chamber with soaring vaulted ceilings and tall, arched windows overlooking the lush gardens, had been entirely stripped of its usual finery. The delicate silken banners and crystal chandeliers were gone, replaced by heavy, tactical war maps covering nearly every inch of the polished marble floor.
At the very centre of the room stood a truly enormous, round oak table, large enough to comfortably seat fifty people.
