Page 47 of Realm of Wind and Vines
Across the table, Draven mirrors the smile and gives his friend another nod in acknowledgement. “Good work.”
I have to suppress a smile when that small gesture makes Galen hold his head a little higher. To his left, Orion just arches a dark brow.
“And?” he prompts.
Galen clears his throat and glances back at the Unseelie King before sweeping his gaze over all of us. “And that’s it. We also managed to visit the Brown Clan, and we tried to convince them, but well… They were very stubborn.”
Draven lets out a huff of laughter. “Shocker.”
“Right?” Galen smiles before his expression turns serious again. “They admitted that they might be open to the possibility, but they won’t seriously consider joining us unless we have the Green Clan on our side.”
A groan escapes me.
He shifts his attention to me. “I take it that means you had no luck with the Green Clan?”
I shake my head. “They didn’t even open the door.”
Tilting his head to the side in a half nod, he lets out a small sigh. “Can’t say I’m surprised.” His gaze shifts to Draven, and a hint of hope fills his voice as he asks, “And the Orange Clan?”
“Rin is wearing dragon steel,” Draven replies, his expression grim.
Both Galen and Lyra curse.
“I should’ve known.” Draven heaves a deep sigh and rakes both hands through his hair. “Or at least suspected. Of course Bane and Jessina would have more than just the single piece of dragon steel they were using on me. And if they were going to use it on anyone, it was definitely going to be Rin. Controlling the only person with healing magic is vital.”
Silence descends over the dining room. For a few moments, only the faint dings from our utensils as we continue eating fill the room.
“But we did manage to convince Diana,” Draven continues eventually. Then he grimaces. “Mostly, anyway. She’s willing to join us once we have more clans on our side.” He looks from Galen to Lyra. “Did you visit anyone else?”
“No.” Lyra takes a large gulp of wine and then lifts her shoulders in a helpless shrug. “We didn’t have time.”
“Alright, so that leaves the Green Clan, the White Clan, and the Red Clan.” He drums his fingers on the dark wooden tabletop. “The Green Clan probably still won’t open the door if we go back now.”
“They respect Rin, though,” Galen adds with a considering look on his face. “So if we can somehow get the Orange Clan on our side, the Green Clan will probably be willing to listen. And then if we get the Green Clan, we’ll also get the Brown Clan.”
“I never realized how much politics there is among all yourclans,” Alistair suddenly says. His pale brows are furrowed in what looks like genuine surprise and confusion. “I thought you were all… I don’t know? United. Like, one cohesive nation who collectively agree on everything.”
Draven, Galen, and Lyra all burst out laughing. Even Orion snickers into his wine before taking a long sip.
“Azaroth’s flame, no,” Lyra presses out between bursts of laughter. “There are tons of culture differences between all the clans, which have created a lot of both conflict and collaborations over the years. Some clans have more history with each other than others, but we’ve all tried to outmaneuver each other in different ways more than once. It’s quite fun, actually.” A mischievous grin spreads across her mouth. “Especially when you know exactly which social norms to break in order to create maximum chaos.”
Alistair lets out an approving chuckle and raises his glass at her in salute.
“What did I tell you last time we were here?” Galen begins. “And again at the Blue Clan’s capital? And outside the walls of the Brown Clan’s lands?” He gives Lyra a pointed look full of exasperation. “Don’t rope him into your craziness. You alone are enough of a menace. Together, the two of you would level cities to the ground.”
Lyra and Alistair just exchange a devilish grin across the table.
“Shall we get back to the point?” Orion interrupts, and arches an expectant eyebrow at the rest of us.
“Right.” I swallow a bite of food and set my fork down. “So have I got this right? We need the Green Clan, for multiple reasons, but to get them, we first need to get the Orange Clan? And we can’t get them unless we somehow neutralize the dragon steel that Rin Tanaka is wearing? Which we also can’t do because she will try to capture or kill us if we come near her?”
“That about sums it up,” Galen agrees.
“Which then brings us back to Lavendera,” I continue.
Draven shoots me a scowl. “I’ve already told you, we won’t be able to turn Lavendera against the Icehearts.”
Pressing my lips together, I drum my fingers on the table but don’t argue since I’m pretty sure that he’s right. Especially if my suspicions are correct that Lavendera is Bane Iceheart’s bastard child. It would also explain what Diana said. That Lavendera has been given the important task of locating the mysterious Gold Clan. If they?—
