EPISODE 7: THE RECONSTRUCTION ## CHAPTER 1: THE NEW COUNCIL Three weeks after Helena's destruction, the New Orleans Covenant reconvened. The chamber beneath St. Louis Cemetery was unchanged—the same ancient banners, the same tiered seating, the same atmosphere of power and antiquity. But the faces in those seats were different. Of the original seven Council Elders, three had been revealed as Helena's co-conspirators and destroyed. Two had fled and were being hunted. Only two remained to provide continuity: the parchment-skinned elder who had questioned Helena during the trial, and a quiet woman named Isabelle who had apparently abstained from the vote that night. "We are diminished," the parchment-elder said, his voice echoing through the nearly empty chamber. "The oldest and most powerful among us are gone. Helena's faction—whatever we choose to call them—represented centuries of accumulated influence." "Influence that was being used against us," someone called from the lower tiers. "Influence nonetheless. Power doesn't disappear just because we destroy its wielders. It merely... relocates." Elena sat in the second tier, where Adrian had guided her before the session began. She was still uncomfortable in vampire society—still felt like an outsider despite everything that had happened—but she understood the importance of being present. The future was being decided tonight. "We must choose new Council members," the parchment-elder continued. "The charter...