In Volantis, at the very heart of the area guarded by the Black Wall, stood the hall where the triarchs exercised their power.
The magnificent hall had a lofty dome inlaid with stained glass.
When the midday sunlight shone through, it cast shifting, dreamlike patterns of light and shadow across the black marble floor, polished to a mirror sheen, like the silent gaze of the gods.
At that moment, deep within this hall that symbolized supreme power, the three triarchs of Volantis were locked in a fierce dispute around a massive council table.
Malaquo Maegor Ya, the Tiger Party's sole triarch, had an aged face flushed with anger. His thick fingers hammered the tabletop, sending dull echoes through the cavernous hall.
He wore a silk robe embroidered with the roaring golden tiger emblem of the Tiger Party, and a heavy gold chain hung around his neck, every link engraved with the military achievements of his ancestors.
His voice rang out:
"The latest news is that the Myrish army has been defeated, and the Easterner is advancing on Myr. We must act.
"Must we wait until that Easterner chews up and swallows Tyrosh, Lys, and Myr one by one, turns the entire kingdom of the Three Daughters into jewels in his crown, then sharpens his blades and turns his greedy gaze upon Volantis before we finally wake up?!"
The Tiger Party represented Volantis's oldest noble bloodlines and military traditions, believing in conquering the world through iron and blood.
During the "century of blood" following the fall of the Valyrian Freehold, the Tiger Party had held power, commanding the mighty Tiger Cloaks and a vast fleet in an attempt to restore the glory of Valyria.
Yet their swollen ambitions had ultimately provoked a united counterattack from the Free Cities. Volantis suffered a