Page 65 of The Eye of the Fifth
‘Nysari’s worries are justified,’ Naal said, her voice fractionally rising to address the rest, particularly Zuriel, whose lips were tight with restrained disagreement. A respectful silence settled as she spoke. ‘This attack will not be the last. It is the beginning of a war I have been foolish enough to believe would not come to pass just yet. But this threat is unmistakable. Zarynth attacks to send us a message: that Empress Azar is finally ready to fight, and that we should submit to her reign or become extinct in her new world.’
‘We will do neither,’ said Maida fiercely.
‘But we are just a small fraction of Zarynth’s number,’ Zuriel said, her eyebrows furrowing. ‘We are the only unit in Droria who would dare rise against her. How can we hope to defeat her growing army?’
‘Through Orro’s recent revelations we know that those armies are made up of humans. Though the battalions far outnumber us, we can be certain that our power and unity givesusthe advantage. Those humans are slaves. Their loyalty to her is based on fear, not respect nor love. Their unhappiness leans to our favour; she has not won their hearts.’ Naal remembered her oldest friend then. ‘What of Orro? Have we received word?’
If the room had been quiet before, the silence that followed was profoundly more so. Clammy dread flushed over her skin. ‘Tell me,’ she whispered.
It was Maida who delivered the devastating blow. ‘He was caught. Azar killed him.’
Orro Myrso was dead.
Her gaze immediately went to the giant at Maida’s side. ‘Mankar,’ she breathed through a constricted throat. ‘I’m so sorry.’
Orro had been her Second in command and the Eternal spymaster for over five hundred years. He had also been a great father to the twins, Mankar inheriting his rare aptitude for unconditional kindness.
‘He knew the risks,’ Mankar replied, and though there was sadness in his icy blue eyes, his chest swelled with pride. ‘He died serving you and this order. He would have considered it a great honour.’
The sentiment did little to alleviate the grief in her heart. ‘I doubt Nysari shares the same view?’ Naal asked, now understanding his twin’s self-inflicted segregation.
‘She does,’ Mankar insisted. ‘But it is not without anger.’ Across the table, Zuriel shook her head slightly. It did not go unnoticed by Mankar. ‘Have you ever lost a father?’ he demanded of her. ‘Have some empathy, Zuri. She is grieving.’
‘As are you, but you have not neglectedyourduty.’
Mankar’s wide hand on the table balled into a fist. ‘She has not neglected-’
‘When the attack on the city happened,shewas on the Summit,’ Zuriel said vehemently. ‘The city fell on herwatch.’
Mankar’s face flushed with anger. The veins in his thick neck popped. ‘You cannot blame her for-’
Zuriel’s voice rose. ‘It was her watch! She was there on the summit with the hawks,sheshould have been the one to see the princes coming! She hides up there now because she knows she is guilty of that oversight! If she had control of her emotions, all those people would still be here.’
The irony of Zuriel berating Nysari for a lack of emotional control was not lost on Naal, for her daughter was as short-tempered as a dragon.
Kyra, who had sat quiet the whole time, said, ‘I don’t think that’s fair.’
Zuriel’s attention snapped toward her. ‘Forgive my bluntness, but your opinion does not matter here.’
‘I don’t give a shit if you think it matters or not,’ Kyra said coolly. ‘I’m still going to give it. I don’t know who Nysari is, but losingsomeone you love affects everyone differently. Some bounce right back because their routine is their comfort. And some lose themselves in their grief and don’t know how to carry on. You can’t judge someone on how they grieve, whatever the cost of it is.’
Zuriel glared at her. ‘Nysari made a vow when she became Eternal. We all did. A vow that no matter what she feels or thinks, her duty to protect comes first. I would not expectyouto understand that.’
Naal had the impression that Kyra was holding back a few choice names for Zuriel. Before they could be said, she intervened. ‘Kyra is right. I will not condemn Nysari for mourning her father… such a reaction would be cruel. But Mankar, she cannot dwell for much longer in this despair. She is needed, now more than ever.’
Mankar nodded his understanding.
‘It is becoming clear to me that we cannot solely rely on this order to snuff out this evil,’ Naal said slowly. ‘We need aid. A united front against the spreading fires of Zarynth.’
‘What are you suggesting?’ Maida asked.
Naal had wondered when this time would come. When she would have to drag the poor young boy into the fray… ‘Two Wardens against Azar, against her Fire Warden son is favourable. But three…’
‘You want to find the boy,’ said Maida with realisation.
Naal grimaced. ‘It will not be easy. He knew what he was doing when he disappeared. But Droria needs its Wardens. He will join us, when he realises what is at stake.’
Kyra leaned forward. ‘You’re talking about the Water Warden?’
