The candle atop its bronze stand flickered weakly, casting a wan halo of light that struggled against the shadows clinging to the corners of the stone chamber. At the center stood a polished wooden table, its surface worn smooth by years of use. Two chairs faced one another across its breadth—one occupied by Lord Asher, the other by General Clegane.
Clegane exhaled slowly, the weight of weeks pressed into that single breath. "Had it not been for your timely arrival, Castle Black would have fallen," he said, voice low and edged with fatigue. "The Dominion is balanced on a blade's edge. House Wyvern attacks from the northeast border—they've already taken two cities. Castle Black now stands between them and the rest of the domain."
