Candlelight flickered intermittently.
The shadows of eight men and women twisted and swayed with the dim light. The cloaked figures sat around the round table in silence, resembling a gathering of breathing shadows, the entire space enveloped in an almost suffocating stillness.
"The situation is very serious,"
an elderly male voice shattered the silence, his statement blending self-talk with the sounds of held breaths and quickened breathing. Ignoring the slight discomposures of the other attendees, his emphatic and rhythmic sentences continued.
"Everyone is already well aware, aren't they? That Governor is the strongest and most dangerous enemy we have encountered to date."
"..."
The assembled attendees all furrowed their brows, remaining silent.
To admit that they had been frustrated by a mere youth was somewhat embarrassing, but to continue pretending out of stubborn pride was nothing short of self-deception.
