Page 163 of Mother of Death and Dawn

“The city was built of stone, and once those stones were mountains, so they became mountains,” Sammerin said.

“This is allridiculous.” Brayan looked like he wanted to peel off his own skin.

“I think we must let go of the notion that any magic this old and volatile will ever bend fully to the bounds of mortal logic,” Ishqa said, remarkably calmly. “None of it will make sense the way we want it to make sense.”

The rest of us gave him a flat stare and took a long moment to mourn our sanity.

“Well.” Tisaanah rubbed her temples. “At least now we have ammunition. Until we know where the other magics are, we should go to Orasiev and work with the rebellion against the Threllians.”

Ishqa’s face changed immediately. “The Threllians? No. We go after the Aran queen.”

“The closest thing we have to an army is the rebellion, and they cannot help us when they are fighting for their survival. If we defeat the Threllians, we rip out the teeth of Caduan’s army, give ourselves more resources, and free the rebels to help us against Nura and Caduan.”

She was right. The only resources we had were tied up in a war against the Threllian Lords.

“There’s a factor we aren’t considering,” Sammerin said. “Perhaps we can work on both fronts. Nura has never been very popular, even before all this. And while she managed to build a legal claim to her power, I don’t doubt that most understand exactly how tenuous it is. Perhaps our allies there could lay groundwork before we arrive.”

The name came to me immediately. Tisaanah glanced at me, like she was having the same thought.

“Iya,” we both said.

The most reasonable person who sat in Orders leadership—and the Councilor who had backed me in my attempted bid for Arch Commandant.

Sammerin’s brow knitted. “I’m surprised she allowed him to stay in his role.”

“She needed the support of the Council,” I said. “The rules she built her claim on would collapse beneath her if she openly executed Orders leadership.”

“Openly,” Tisaanah muttered. “I hope he has someone testing his food.”

Ascended above, I hoped so, too.

“Fine. Iya,” I said. “I trust him. So how do we communicate with him? Communications to and from the Towers are being monitored closely, I’m sure.”

“I can handle it,” Brayan said. “Roseteeth Company whisper networks reach everywhere, Ara included.”

I scoffed. “We were just run out of town by mercenaries, and you want us to trust the Roseteeth with something this sensitive?”

Brayan looked offended. “The Roseteeth are notmercenaries, they’re—”

“A ‘private army.’ Sure. And the man who tried to kill you in the streets of Zagos? Was he a ‘private soldier’ too?”

Brayan’s lip twitched. “I trust these men and women with my life. But if you don’t, fine. What is your alternative?”

At the ensuing silence, his lips curled into a smug smirk that looked exactly the same as it did when he was an obnoxious know-it-all eighteen-year-old.

Tisaanah rose, pressing her palms to the table. “Fine. Then it is decided. We will go to Orasiev first, move against the Threllians, and, by extension, the Fey. We will keep our fingers on the pulse of Ara through Iya.”

I nodded. “And when the time is right, we strike. Hopefully, by then, with the force of the rebels behind us, too.”

We looked around for confirmation. Sammerin nodded, and Brayan let out a grunt of agreement.

I sighed. “It seems as good a plan as any.” It was the most enthusiasm I could muster.

Ishqa was silent, his jaw so tight it trembled.

“Ishqa?” Tisaanah pressed.

“It does not seem like enough.”

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