The manor's great hall was much smaller than the one in the Salt Stone Palace. The estate was never meant to entertain a great number of guests and hadn't been built for grand social events. The dozen or so people filling it as the day passed into evening were enough to seem a crowd.

The floor was tiled with black and violet. patterned as a large house sigil. The device of a bare-chested selkie lounging amidst breaking waves was one of the few vestiges of House Valdar that remained in the estate. The sigil was offset by a Yora banner hanging over the hearth and dark green drapes on the windows.

The long dining table had been pushed to the side of the room, and Mistress Hana had the maids bring in enough chairs to seat everyone that had come. The seats were arranged in a half circle around the sigil, but most present chose to remain standing.

Enfri had taken a seat with her back to the hearth, a fire burning within. Jin had a chair pushed against hers, and they had their hands entwined in Jin's lap. Enfri refrained from resting her head on Jin's shoulder, though she desperately wanted to. Deebee had returned much of the strength Enfri had given, but she still felt drained and weary. If she gave in, she'd probably end up dropping to sleep on top of Jin.

"You're still cross with me," Enfri murmured.

Jin sniffed. "Of course I am. What you did was..." She gave a slight shake of her head. "I am grateful things ended as well as they could, but it's hard to keep you safe when you insist on riding headfirst into danger."

Enfri squeezed her hands tightly. "I'm sorry for worrying you, but not for what I did."

"I don't want you to be," Jin said. "I love you. I love that you vex me so. Even as it frustrates me, it reminds me why I love you. You're perhaps the bravest woman I've ever met."

She confuses bravery with idiocy, one of the voices said.

Enfri ignored it and wouldn't let their cynicism diminish the warmth she felt at Jin's regard. She had to stop herself from kissing Jin; this was neither the time or place for displays of affection.

Ban stood across the room from them, his back leaning against the wall. He'd removed his armor, though he wore his half blade on his hip. His eyes were on Varn. The elder dragon sat in his wizened human form. His robes were scuffed and dirty from the fight, and his staff was in the hands of Elloo. The Constable and the Corsair stood behind Varn's seat, simultaneously awed and vigilant of any further acts he may attempt.

Darva the Corsair was an indigo dragon. Both his human and true forms were predominantly dark brown with whorls of deep blue patterns tracing over his body like tattoos. Interestingly enough, he and Elloo now wore the coats and tabards of House Yora armsmen.

Deebee and Adar accounted for the rest of the mighty present. Both were clothed, Deebee in one of the inexpensive dresses she kept in her holding spell and Adar in a dark green doublet.

King Sasha paced the room, worry creasing his young face. Pacifica looked torn between stopping her twin and joining him. Lady Deimi and Knight-Lieutenant Trent were there, as was Deimi's father, Vago the Drunov, for some reason. He'd likely tagged along with the king.

The Lord Drunov was the rotund, one-armed nobleman Enfri had seen Sasha speaking with at the feast. He was pleasant enough when he arrived, though Enfri didn't care for the conniving quality of his voice. Still, both Ban and Sasha vouched for him, and Enfri trusted their judgement.

Lastly, there was Reyn. She sat in a chair near where Pacifica stood. She held a writing tablet with a sigil carved into the wooden surface. It glowed faintly with her etherlight. She'd placed a privacy ward over the room so there'd be no eavesdroppers. Currently, she was writing in shorthand, her feathered ink pen scribbling away at a frantic pace. She was making a record of this meeting, no doubt. That was probably her justification for sitting in.

Enfri endeavored not to look in Reyn's direction. Though she'd put the flush of their last encounter behind her, Enfri meant to avoid a repeat. That could prove difficult now that Reyn was in her service. Though Enfri wouldn't look at her, few others stopped themselves from noting the prim way Reyn crossed her legs and sat straight with shoulders back and chest out.

"The damage was extensive," Sasha muttered as he chewed on the tip of his thumb. His anxiety was proving infectious. "No one was killed, thank the waves, but every surgeon and sky woman in the city will be tending broken bones for the next few months. And the blast knocked down every tent and overturned every cart inside a quarter mile."

"I must apologize, my lord," Deebee said. "When I see a clear and present danger to Enfri, I..."

"No," Sasha said to cut her off. "No, my lady. I don't hold you responsible." He frowned and shot a stern glare in Varn's direction. "As I see it, your intervention prevented a far worse outcome."

The Drunov cleared his throat. "If I may, my lord, what of the goodfolk? I can't imagine the people could witness something like this and retain much goodwill towards your... guests... being in the city."

"Father," Deimi whispered harshly.

"The goodfolk no be fools, my king," Trent added. "A few bumps and spilled cook pots will no be enough to make them forget debts owed."

"Lord Vago is right to be concerned," Adar said. He stepped towards the center of the room. "Whether we wish it or not, the presence of the mighty and our beloved in Ecclesia will only draw further danger to your White City, be it from Melcians or royal assassins. I am certain the empress has no desire for that."

"Of course not," Enfri said. "Causing you all trouble is the last thing I want. Sasha, perhaps it would be best if you distanced yourself from me."

"But we can't kick you out," Sasha said to her. "We absolutely will not."

"Please, Sasha," Enfri said. "I know you wouldn't on your own, but you have your kingdom to think of."

"It's for the kingdom that he can't," Pacifica said. "Honor demands standing beside you, Enfri, but that's not the only reason. We need you, now more than ever. You told Adeyemi that Ecclesia was under your protection, and as much as we would like to believe otherwise, without that protection, Ecclesia will fall."

"We're dangerously short on manpower," Sasha said. "With what few noble houses remain in the city, we have just eight thousand armsmen. If House Valdar marches on us, that won't be enough to defend the walls. That isn't even taking into account the ongoing repair work or the supply shortages."

The Drunov harrumphed. "Don't be so hasty, my boy. You're forgetting the soldiers and knights I'm providing."

"Sasha is your king," Ban said harshly. "Not your boy."

The Drunov slapped his ample belly with his remaining hand. "Not yet, maybe. Once he weds my Deimi, the king will be my son-in-law."

Enfri gasped.

"Father," Deimi cried. "Sasha hasn't agreed to it."

"You heard him just now, girl," the Drunov said. "Dangerously short on manpower. Ecclesia needs Drunov armsmen, Isn't that right? As the king and I discussed, the best way to keep House Drunov and our forces here is to join you two in marriage."

"You snake," Ban growled under his breath. No one else but Enfri seemed to hear it.

Pacifica went to Sasha and put her hand on his arm. She tried to get him to look at her, but he determinedly set his eyes anywhere else.

"Of course, you're right, my lord." Sasha said. He pulled away from his sister's hand and approached Deimi. "I'd have chosen different circumstances to make the announcement, my lady, but I would be honored if you would consent to be my queen."

Enfri covered her mouth with a hand while the other gripped Jin's tight enough to leave welts. This was wrong. So very wrong. Sasha was being forced to marry to keep the Drunov's soldiers, and to a woman.

Deimi looked pained. "I'm so sorry," she said tearfully.

Sasha nodded. "We do as we must. It's no different than what my mother did. I am no stranger to it."

In his corner of the room, Ban looked ready to be sick. He glared daggers at the Drunov, who was gleefully unaware of his anger. Enfri found herself wishing that Ban would wipe the smirk off Lord Vago's face with his fist.

Deimi broke down into tears, inconsolable. Pacifica didn't waste time in assisting her out of the hall. Before they passed through the boundary of Reyn's ward and were silenced by the barrier, Enfri heard Deimi saying she was sorry, over and over again.

Oh, winds, Enfri thought. How awful, for her and Sasha both.

She will recover, a former empress said, dismissive. Once she bears him an heir, she can distract herself with mothering.

Enfri fought the urge to slap her own face.

Don't be daft, the empress argued. Your Ruby's bloodline is ended if he means to court the fey girl, and this other branch is in decline. Heirs are necessary, and if you've an ounce of intelligence, you'll put thought towards bearing some of your own.

She had put thought towards it. That was the problem. Enfri doubted she needed to educate the voices in her head on the workings of childbearing, but that simply didn't work with two women.

Oh, don't be so prudish. Enfri felt the empress looking towards Ban. Winds, but was that... humming?

Absolutely not, you blustering lush!

The empress made a vexed sound. Selfish girl, she grumbled, then withdrew.

Besides, Enfri had debilitating misgivings about her fitness for being a mother. Of Jin, Enfri had none; she'd be a marvelous mother without question. As for herself, one of her role models thought that offspring should all hatch from eggs, and the other was an abusive horror of a parent. Not to mention that any child of hers would be hunted as an Aleesh from the moment they were born.

No. While Enfri could appreciate the idea of motherhood, she surrendered to the reality that she could never allow herself to become one. For the child's sake, if nothing else.

While she'd been wrestling with the voices, Enfri had missed the Drunov excusing himself once he noted the room's growing hostility towards him. Knight-Lieutenant Trent had offered to escort the man back to the palace.

Sasha remained, looking defeated and sad. Enfri's heart went out to him, for all the good that would do. Sympathy didn't feel like it was enough.

"I've always liked Deimi," he said as if to himself. "She's always been a dear friend of our family. I could have ended up with far worse."

"Knock that off, Sasha," Ban scolded. "Waves and tides, get mad about it. You've a right to be mad."

Sasha got a small smile on his face. "That's where you're wrong, old man. I don't. A king doesn't have that right." He looked up to the ceiling. "Though... I'm glad to hear you say it."

"How about if I feed Vago his teeth during the wedding feast?"

Sasha laughed. "Please don't."

"I will."

"I know. But don't."

Ban sighed. "For his armsmen. I get it. Things are desperate enough as it is." He turned to Enfri. "I know you want to go rescue Kimpo, my empress, but we can't leave Ecclesia vulnerable. Your forces and mine account for a large portion of what's left."

Jin leaned to Enfri's ear and whispered. "It would be unwise to march with all our soldiers. With an army that large, it could take weeks just to reach Nadia. Pledge your forces to Ecclesia's defense, and it won't harm our chances to catch Elise."

Enfri nodded. She'd had no idea that a thousand men couldn't move as quickly as a hundred, but she supposed rulers had advisors for a reason.

"My lord," Enfri said, addressing Sasha, "if you think they could be of use, House Yora's armsmen will be at your disposal for as long as you need them. I also don't want to risk Elise capturing any more of the mighty, so you'll also have them to defend your people."

"Some of us are willing to risk capture," Elloo said, chiming in. "We won't allow the false empress to hold one of our Eldest in bondage."

"But what if she bonds you?" Enfri protested. "It's too risky. Deebee will be safe so long as we keep out of reach of Elise's spikes, but the rest of you..."

Varn gnashed his teeth abruptly. Elloo and Darva startled and couldn't seem to decide if they were supposed to restrain him or not.

"A Dekaam?" Varn growled. He barked a bitter laugh. "A vile, odious practice. And you wonder why I hold your race in such contempt."

Reyn sniffed in displeasure. She obviously didn't care for Varn's tone.

"You shut your mouth," Deebee shouted. "The utter gall. Before anything else is said, I will have an answer from this coward."

"How dare you, child?" Varn roared. "You say this girl hasn't put a spell on you, but I cannot fathom where this insolence of yours is coming from.

"Let me educate you, then," Deebee hissed. "For the last four hundred years, ever since you left us, the mighty have been hunted and exterminated at every turn, to say nothing of the Aleesh. You and the elders abandoned us. To Althandor's retribution, which you failed to mention was wholly justified. We paid for your sins with our blood, believing our elders to be gone from this world. And yet..." She shook her head as if denying what she saw in front of her. "Here you are. After all this time. With your lies guiding us, we searched the world for the smallest glimmer of the shining empire you said we were denied. Then, a miracle. I found Inwe's bloodline, and we allowed ourselves to dream. We earned those dreams a thousand times over. Now you appear before us and have the audacity to tell us we were wrong? As if you have any claim to authority after you deceived us all."

Varn rose to her challenge. His wrinkled face was reddening. "I am still your Eldest, child."

"You're a worm," Deebee snapped. "I am Eldest of the silvers, and Adar is Eldest of us all. What I see standing in front of me isn't mighty. This thing is a coward and a fool, and the only words I want to hear from you is a blustering explanation of where in hellfire you've been skulking."

Varn shook his head. "You are not ready for those answers."

Adar rubbed a hand over his face tiredly. "This gets us nowhere. If the Librarian has nothing to say, perhaps we should seek out the Vizier."

"You will not find her," Varn said. "Mika... is no longer of this world."

"So we thought of you," Deebee growled. Her lip twisted into an imperious sneer. "After learning the truth, do you know what I did, Varn? My fires already burned in the ruins of Marwin. Enfri was indisposed at the time, but I went out into those ruins and wondered if I should put out my flames. Instead, I stoked those fires. I prayed to any spirit that might hear me that my elders, so powerful and wise, might see the flames. Maybe, as the Empire of Scales burned away from the world at last, they might finally take notice of us again."

She walked up to Varn and placed her scowling face a bare inch from him, her amber eyes glaring into his.

"Let it burn, I said. And I wondered, if my Librarian saw me, would he stand with me as he should have done so long ago, or would he walk away? Thank you, Varn, for giving me my answer. Leave us. Walk away to whatever hole you cowered in for the last four hundred years, and die there. This fool's errand of yours is over."

Deebee turned her back on him, and Enfri saw the barest glimmer of tears in her eyes. She left the hall and didn't look back.

Adar's eyes followed her, then he turned back to Varn once she was outside Reyn's ward. "The Storyteller's anger is justified. You say we aren't ready for your answers, but I believe we deserve them."

Varn was silent for a long moment. He looked down at the floor in front of him, his expression pensive and his eyes filled with a deep tiredness. "None of you know what is coming," he said in a soft voice. "I came here against the wishes of those greater than me. To save our children remaining in the world from the cruel fate that once was inflicted on us."

Adar frowned. "We don't need saving."

"You do," Varn said. He looked at Enfri. "Flames take me, but you do. It's only a matter of time."

Enfri narrowed her eyes.

Varn straightened his robe, then snatched his staff away from Elloo. Jin let go of Enfri's hands and stood, ready to use her osteomancy, but Varn made no other aggressive moves.

"I wash my hands of you," he said. "Ignore my warnings at your peril. I go back to tasks of greater import than any of you can imagine. But mark my words, sooner or later, the voices of the past will consume this girl with their madness, and you will all be lost."

Enfri's breath caught in her throat. She felt cold seeping into her blood despite the fire at her back. Shoen's mocking laughter echoed inside her skull.

"What nonsense," Ban scoffed, and nearly everyone else present voiced their own disbelief.

"Has she not told you?" Varn asked wryly. He pointed an aged finger at Enfri. He smirked as he spoke. "Has she told you nothing of the cost attached to her elder magic? Just as she bonds the mighty to mortal souls, this creature is a tether to those that came before her. Shoen and his ancestors yet exist, not yet passed into the Beyond where the dead belong. Instead, they dwell in her."

Jin wrinkled her nose. "Absurd. What is dead can never come back."

"Unless they never truly left," Varn said. "The cost of her magic is an inability to pass into the Beyond, Child of Gara. Until the last of her bloodline lies dead, the Dragon Emperors exist as specters in the minds of those that yet live. They will infect her before the end. By the look of her, it has already begun."

Enfri knew Jin turned to look at her. Ban as well. Everyone. She didn't see them. Enfri stared at the ground, her jaw clenched and her fingers clutching the sides of her head. She didn't want to hear this. Not from him. Not from anyone.

"My heart?" Jin whispered. "Is he..."

Shoen continued to laugh, thinking Enfri's horror amusing. Now you know it for truth, girl, he said. And to think, you thought I was your mother.

"It's not true," Enfri whispered in denial. Tears fell from her eyes to land on the tiled floor. "They can't be real. They just can't be."

Say what you will, but we have never lied to you.

Enfri fled. She heard the others call after her and Varn's bitter laugh as he stormed out of the manor. The privacy ward broke over her like stepping through a gossamer veil. She rushed headlong for the stairs and took them two steps at a time. Enfri didn't stop until she reached her bedchamber and shut the door behind her.

Denying us is weakness. You are to be the instrument of our vengeance. Listen to your betters, and we will make you powerful.

She pressed her back against the door and held her head in her hands. "Stop it," she whispered through her crying. "Please, stop it. Leave me alone."

The bedchamber was unfamiliar. It didn't feel like hers. This room, this entire manor, felt like the home of a stranger. She missed her cottage on the desert's edge. She missed Kiffa's laugh and Haythe's ready grin. The afternoon chats with Goodwife Cobbler and the ringing hammer strikes that carried from the Smith family's forge. When Enfri looked in the mirror, she saw someone the goodfolk of her village wouldn't recognize. She saw someone she herself didn't recognize.

She missed Enfri Page, the sky woman of Sandharbor.

Your people have no need of a sky woman, Shoen whispered. They need their empress. If not you, then it will be the woman you fear. Is that what you want?

Isn't that what you want? Enfri demanded. Aren't you in Elise's head, too?

What we want is the bloodline to endure. What we want is for the stronger empress to prevail and ensure that Shan Alee returns to its rightful place. You do not know what Inwe wrested control of the world away from, girl. The old masters are stirring.

I don't care. Leave me alone!

How disappointing, Shoen sneered. I expected better of you.

Enfri didn't respond. She pushed all her thoughts away and made herself numb, unable to feel anything. But she couldn't stop herself from weeping. She knew her bed was somewhere in front of her-- wanted to throw herself onto it and bury her tears in a pillow. Even that was too much. Enfri slid her back down the wood of her door and sat on the ground. She tucked her knees up to her face and hugged them tight against her. Miserable, she wished for nothing more than salvation from her own mind.

Stay strong, Enfri.

She cringed, and thought nothing more. What passed might have been minutes or hours, then a knock wrapped against the doorframe.

"My heart?"

Enfri buried her face in her knees, muffling her reply. "I'm blocking the door. You can't come in."

"I cannot hear you. I am coming in."

The door opened outward, nearly dropping Enfri onto her back. Drat. She should have locked it. Enfri sniffled and raised her head just as Jin sat down on the floor beside her. In the same motion, Jin pulled the door shut and threw the latch.

"He has gone," Jin said.

"I heard."

Jin didn't say anything else, and Enfri wasn't inclined to speak either. What could she even say? She tried to find the words when she found herself enveloped in Jin's arms. Enfri clutched to them. She adored Jin's arms and how she fit perfectly inside them. Jin leaned her forehead against Enfri's hair, taking in her scent.

"It's true," Enfri heard herself say. "Varn wasn't lying. I hear them whispering to me."

"This is what happened before the feast?" Jin asked. "This is what you were reluctant to speak of."

"I'm sorry," Enfri whispered. "I wouldn't let myself believe it."

Jin's hold on her tightened. "How long?"

The first time she'd noticed her thoughts weren't her own? "After I nearly used blood magic to heal Pacifica. No, even before then. These voices... I thought they were just intrusive thoughts. Ugly thoughts. Winds, I... I think I heard them even in the desert."

Jin lowered her eyes. "They grew stronger after you bonded Ban and Kimpo. You first noticed them after you began using your bond with Deebee."

"I'm losing my mind," Enfri said under her breath. "Just like the augurs. Except I won't be living in the past. I'll become a monster."

Jin touched her face and spoke firmly. "No. Even if Varn is correct, and these dead emperors have some small influence, that is a long and impossible path they must take to make you into a monster."

"Maybe Elise used to think the same thing."

Jin guided Enfri to look at her. "Listen to me, my heart. Every elder magic enacts a ransom we must pay. Osteomancy demands unwavering control or I suffer. Hydromancy fractures memories. Now we know what yours is. That is the first step to take in resisting it."

"I don't know if I can. I'm not..."

"Don't you dare say you're not strong enough," Jin said, her eyes fierce. "You will resist them, my heart. The Dragon Emperors of old are nothing more than advisors you don't trust. Take from them what wisdom you can use, and discard the rest."

Enfri shook her head. "It's not that simple. I think if I let my guard down, they could... take over."

"Your mind is your own. Always."

Enfri averted her gaze, unconvinced. She'd almost rather Jin be angry with her for hiding something like this. How she instead tried to comfort her made the guilt all but unbearable.

Jin rose to her feet, pulling Enfri up with her. She lifted her off the floor as if she weighed as little as a feather. "Come. The ground is no place for you, and you'll catch your death in this chill."

She guided Enfri towards her bed and gestured towards the hearth to light it. She used another spell to ignite the oil lanterns hanging within sconces about the room.

"You need rest, my heart. We've discussed plans, and we all agreed to delay our departure another day. Ban will need that much time to choose which dragons and soldiers will accompany us."

"I'm sorry," Enfri apologized again.

"It's not your doing. So much has happened in so short a time, and we are all scrambling to catch up. I will assist you into your nightdress, if you wish."

Enfri pulled short of the bed. She threw herself against Jin and held on tight. She was scared, about everything. Jin's strength and her light was all that kept it from overwhelming her.

"Promise me, Jin," Enfri whimpered. "If I stray, if I become like them, I need you to stop me."

She heard Jin's breath catch. "Stop you?"

Enfri nodded against Jin's shoulder. "I don't want to be a monster. Please, my light."

Jin backed away. Her eyes widened. She shook her head. "You can't ask this of me."

"What else can I do? I won't let myself become what Varn's afraid of. What your father is afraid of."

Jin let out an all but inaudible sound. She turned from Enfri and strode towards the hearth. Placing a hand to the stone, Jin looked into the fire, and her shoulders carried a frightful tension within them. "You are asking me to search out a reason to kill you. After everything?"

"I know it's not fair of me to ask this," Enfri said. "I don't think I have a choice. If Shoen really is..."

"No," Jin interrupted. Her voice was strained. "No, my heart, I understand. If it comes to pass, I... I will do as you ask. I will stop you from becoming a monster, however I can."

Enfri felt a wave of relief.

"However, if I am to do this, I have one condition, Enfri."

"Anything."

"Before I... There is something I would need to do first." Jin hadn't turned from the hearth. She continued to stare into the flames.

"What?"

Jin breathed in. When she spoke, her voice was steady and clear. Rather, it was flat and emotionless. "I must kill Jin Algara."

Enfri's heart felt like it stopped beating.

"She will stand in my way," Jin said. "I must destroy her, everything she is. I will grind her heart and her soul down until they are but dust. I will then scatter what remains into the wind, so that she can never return." Jin turned to look at Enfri, and her eyes appeared as if they no longer had life within them. It was the cold and calculating gaze of the royal assassin Enfri had first met. "Only then will I be able to fulfill this promise to you."

And so it was, for Enfri to become what the Dragon Emperors wanted, it would not only mean destroying herself but the one she loved as well. There was no price more costly, no end result more hateful. Enfri would never allow it. Fear for herself could falter, but her love for Jin never would.

Jin closed her eyes, tears falling from them. Enfri went to her and held her close.

"I am afraid for you, my heart," Jin whispered. "This ransom you must pay, it is unfair."

"Fate delights in unfairness," Enfri said. "I can bear it. I will bear it. You gave me your promise, so let me give you mine. You won't ever need to do as I asked. I swear it, my light. I swear it."

Jin kissed her. It wasn't one of the quick pecks they shared in public, nor one of the usual soft and playful kisses when they were alone. There was a burning need behind the kiss, as if Jin required a reminder that no matter what lay ahead, they were together and alive for this night.

Enfri gasped as she tasted Jin's tongue in her mouth. Her fingers pulled at the buckles of Jin's leggings. Before she could conjure a coherent thought, her dress was unlaced and pulled down to her waist. Enfri held on as Jin lifted her up and carried her towards the bed. Enfri took the opportunity to pull the leather cuirass over Jin's shoulders, unwrap her silk bindings, and leave them behind on the floor.

Jin placed Enfri on the bed and crawled on top of her. She snapped her fingers, and the lights in the room winked out.