Page 155 of The Eye of the Fifth
Naal.
It seemed implausible that the ice cells of Phaenon would hold not one, but two Mother-blessed Wardens. And yet, until Naal was sure, until she knew that Kyra held no true threat to her people or their cause, that was where her impending conversation with the Earth Warden would take place.
Naal stood outside Kyra’s cell, watching her closely. Bound in shackles and shivering against the back wall, she looked so small. She had not so much as acknowledged Naal’s presence, had not said a word since they had left Avaldale’s shores, according to Nys.
Naal clasped her hands together in front of her and took the plunge. ‘I will give you a chance, Kyra, to explain yourself. I will not interrupt and I will not pass judgement until you have done so.’
A minute or two trickled by, where Kyra did not so much as even lift her head. Naal was inclined to ask the question again, when theEarth Warden said in a hoarse voice, ‘I needed the Eye to free my brother from slavery.’
Naal searched the words for any hint of treachery, calling upon her own wits to detect a whiff of a lie. She found none. Her breath came a little lighter then. ‘And did you?’
A nod in response.
‘Look at me, Kyra.’
It took a moment, but eventually the Earth Warden raised her head. Her eyes were bloodshot and swollen.
‘Why did you not tell me?’ Naal demanded quietly.
Kyra’s gaze hardened. Solid as the compacted ice around her. ‘You wouldn’t have helped me.’
‘I might have tried to understand,’ Naal countered. ‘I might have at least tried to find an alternative.’ She sighed heavily. An attempt to keep her anger, her fear at bay. ‘The Eye of the Fifth was not yours to use as a bargaining tool.’
‘I had no choice. He would have died there if I hadn’t-’
‘We could have worked it out together, Kyra,’ Naal interrupted with rising exacerbation.
‘It was ablood bargain,Naal,’ Kyra spat. ‘You and I both know there was only one way to fulfil it.’
‘And how many people were caught in the crossfire whilst you took it upon yourself to free your brother?’ Naal said, now unable to keep the shake of fury from her voice. ‘You are responsible for the deaths of good Nythanorian men. Youshatteredhalf of the bones in Zuriel’s body.’
‘Do you think I don’t fucking know that?’ Kyra hissed. ‘Do you think for one moment I don’tdespisemyself for it? I didn’t mean to-’
‘Just as you did not mean to almost get Kawai killed looking for the Eye in the Four Mother’s tomb? Just as I’msureyou did not mean to infiltrate my memories to find where I had hidden it?’ Naal paced, that mask of careful patience completely awry. ‘Did it ever occur to you that I had stolen the Eye from its original resting place for good reason? Are you ever able to think outside the realms of your own selfish need?’
Kyra stood, iron clanging as she did. ‘I was saving my fucking brother, Naal!’
‘At what cost?’Naal stopped in her pacing. ‘At first, I was relieved that you were not some Zarynthian spy. Why else would you steal such a thing, if not for power or glory? But now I find myself abhorred by your stupidity, which in turn, I now believe to be even worse.’
‘Kill me, then!’ Kyra cried. ‘If I’m that much of a liability, kill me and wait for the next Earth Warden to come forward! See if you can’t mouldtheminto a more suitablepuppet for your war. I see the way you look at me. Like I’m an infant who can’t learn how to walk. I see your frustration at my lack of control with my Warden powers. I fuckingfeelit.’
Naal saw it then, glaring painstakingly back at her. A burnt and shattered reflection of her own failure.
She ought to have been Kyra’s confidant. A teacher, a mentor, perhaps even a mother figure when she had none.
And she’d failed, in every respect.
‘Where is the Eye now?’ Naal asked, forcing her voice to calm.
‘With Lady Lilion Perdy. She was my brother’s slaver and my employer at the Arc,’ Kyra replied stiffly. Then, she added, ‘She won’t do anything with it. It’s a trophy to her, nothing more.’
Naal didn’t miss the guilt that twisted those words. The remorse, even in the throngs of her anger. She nodded slowly. ‘We must pray to the Four Mothers that this is the case. If the Eye were to fall into the wrong hands-’
‘Then, I’m sure you’ll swoop in to save the day again, oh mighty Air Warden.’
Naal stilled. Kyra’s expression, that tone… it was as though Winvara was glaring back at her. ‘I will fetch someone to relieve you from this cell. In the meantime… get some rest.’
She could have granted Kyra’s freedom herself, but a bitter, non-Warden part of her wanted her to suffer a little longer. For the Nythanorian lives she had cost. For Zuriel’s broken body.
