Saveen hadn't been exaggerating when she said the lodge was packed to the rafters with Aleesh. A swift count revealed more than sixty at first glance, and each additional look picked up another dozen. If someone told Enfri there were more than two hundred, she wouldn't have doubted it.

The lodge was hardly enough to contain them all. People stood shoulder to shoulder and three deep along the walls. Men and women sat on the floor with barely enough room to step down between them. All of them craned their necks to get a look of what went on ahead of them, and a soft yet excited murmur filled the air as they whispered into the ears of their neighbors.

Enfri saw Therrak and his wife Leilas. Odjualla sat with her aunt and uncle, offering Enfri an encouraging smile. Landon placed himself within a cluster of Aleesh he'd grown close to, influential tradesmen and community leaders Landon was working hard to convince to join Enfri's supporters. Therrak was often surrounded by his peers upon the second summit, who plied him with questions about Enfri and her retinue.

The sea of golden heads struck Enfri anew. Her people, and she didn't care that some had bat wings for arms or could turn into wolves. Harpy, human, were, selkie, kits, or whoever, Enfri felt a deep connection to them. The common experience of living in fear of discovery, more so than any physical traits they might've shared, that was what made them her people.

And yet, the same was not true for them all.

Enfri saw Tola standing at the back of the lodge, a deliberate separation between him and his parents. The Master of Huntsmen was with several of his fellow hunters, most casting hostile looks at Enfri as she entered. Their cold expressions were disapproving and fell more on her than on even Jin at her side. Enfri felt more than justified in returning those glares. For what he had done, inciting a mob and nearly costing Jin her life, Enfri didn't think she had it in her to forgive Tola Velahrai Second Summit today.

There was at least one other who Enfri didn't count among her friends.

Elise was close by. She and her knights gathered to the left of the front door, while Enfri's ranked officers were on the right. Elise's group was double the size of Enfri's, nine knights and an equal number of dragons. The mighty loyal to Elise looked proud to stand near to her, but none of them appeared to be enjoying it as much as the stunning female standing at their head.

Enfri had only seen her once before, during the Battle of Moran Valley, and that'd been once too many. Draxa the Inamorata, Eldest of ivories, was now the oldest and most powerful of Elise's dragons after Adar's release. If not for Adar hatching a decade or so before her, Draxa would've been Eldest of all the mighty. Her snow white skin was marked by swirls of gray, and her black hair was arranged in orderly curls that hung over her bare shoulders. She wore a diaphanous robe that covered more than Elise's raiment yet somehow gave the impression of being twice as revealing. The silk was sheer enough to be all but transparent and left precious little to the imagination. Draxa's human face and body were tailored to be as beautiful and seductive as she could make them, and even Enfri couldn't help but feel her gaze pulled to that amazing figure. There was only one thing about the Inamorata that Enfri didn't think beautiful, and that was her eyes. They were purely black, cold as ice, and glimmered with a wicked, predatory cunning.

Draxa was Cardin's dragon, or she had been. Enfri hadn't been surprised when she'd heard the rumors coming out of Elise's corner of Chaya Domun. The Inamorata was chosen to serve as her empress' partner as soon as she no longer had Adar.

Not an Imperial as Elise wanted for herself, but Enfri couldn't think of a dragon whose temperament was a closer match for her aunt.

That left Cardin as the odd-man out among Elise's knights, but with the influx of eager recruits they'd gained through Adar's coerced presence, he was unlikely to remain without a bond for long. Enfri just wanted to know if he'd get another ivory and remain Elise's Moonstone Knight.

On the other side of the lodge, Kolbat remained the most senior Arcane Knight as the Lady of Pearls, and she was accompanied by her second officer; her first officer waited outside with the crewmen and kept watch for any surprises. Lady Suuri Nolaas was there, and so was Calton Shepherd, who still looked a little awkward in his uniform. Standing in an imposing row behind them were all of the dragons Enfri had in Chaya Domun. Darva the Corsair, Grimdar the Gladiator, Saveen the Bastion, and Adar the Ascendent all wore their human forms. Everyone— mortals, the mighty, and one vampire— wore dress uniforms bearing the sigil and colors of House Yora.

The retinues of both empresses kept a wide separation between them as they awaited the elders. There was no sign of them or of Mogga yet. They were probably conferring beforehand in an adjoining room until the claimants were ready to present their arguments.

Elise was dressed for the occasion in her own way, just as Enfri dressed in hers. Her minimal attire was black silk with gold accents, lacking any concessions of modesty. Surrounded as Elise was by Cardin, Temri, and the others, Enfri couldn't see her well, but it looked like she was preoccupied. Elise's eyes were lidded as she stared at something held in her hand, and Ardule murmured to her from her side.

The potion bottle Enfri gave Ardule. That was what held Elise's attention. The same moment Enfri realized it, Elise looked up and met her eyes.

Enfri held her breath and straightened her back. No matter how long she spent in the same city as Elise, she still felt a jolt each time Elise looked at her. It was like a stab of fear but not entirely the same. Whatever the feeling was, it included a large measure of wariness.

Expectation, perhaps, but of what remained unclear, and it would probably stay unknown forever.

After holding her gaze for a long moment, Elise gave Enfri a bare nod to acknowledge her presence before looking away again.

I suppose that's the closest to thanks I can expect, Enfri thought. She and Jin went to where Kolbat and the others stood, and Lord Darian followed at a respectful distance. Will Elise even hold to our truce? She got what she wanted, so who knows what she'll do next.

Enfri and Jin went to stand beside the last member of the retinue, a new addition, and one Enfri was pleased to see on her feet. "Lady Thal, wouldn't you rather be recuperating?"

Thal Renoit smiled warmly as she curtsied. "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty, but I am not so ancient as that."

She was a spry, little lady. Deep wrinkles, silvered hair, and a stooped posture spoke to her advanced years. Thal was nearly seventy, though her age hadn't come close to dulling her wits or her quick tongue. She wore a common dress from Enfri's luggage, but she wore it as if it were the latest piece from a premier seamstress. Elegance was the word Enfri would use to describe Lady Thal, elegance and poise.

"I wanted to thank you, my lady," Enfri said, quietly so it wouldn't be overheard by the crowds.

Thal raised an eyebrow with incredulous amusement. "You wanted to thank me? Your Majesty, that is absurd."

Enfri lowered her eyes as she smiled. "I didn't do anything any other sky woman wouldn't have done. I wanted to thank you for consenting to hold onto Grimdar's bond for now. My aunt and I agreed not to kidnap dragons off each other while we're here, but it's still a load off my mind to know my Gladiator is in good hands."

Thal passed an admiring look over Grimdar. The red inclined his head respectfully to her in return.

"I would still be in a comatose state if not for the bond you forged," Thal said. "I feel like I'm forty years old again. I haven't felt like I was forty since I was twenty."

"Winds, but that's relatable," Enfri murmured.

"Mine is the only gratitude that should be exchanged between us, Majesty," Thal said. "Life is a precious gift from the gods, and you saved mine from..." Her eyes darted towards the other retinue before returning. She masked her sudden look of anxiety and smiled. "That is to say, thank you. I will not forget it."

Enfri bit her lip and felt ashamed. "I'm sorry I didn't get to you sooner."

"Oh, me too, let me assure you, but none of my misfortune is your doing. That my last few years in this world weren't stolen is entirely due to you and this fascinating bond you've lent me. House Renoit has a sterling reputation for repaying our debts, and I don't mean to stop now. As soon as I rejoin my juniors in the Cabal, you'd best believe these concerns you've been having about them will be put to an end."

Enfri let out a little sigh of relief. "I'm sure Starra will be pleased to know you're well. She spoke awfully high of you whenever your name came up."

"That girl is a treasure," Thal said firmly. "By far, the wisest decision Ambrose ever made was taking Starra Nolaas as his apprentice. Bringing her into your service does a great deal to raise you up in my estimations." Thal got a searching look in her eye. "That... and something else I find most interesting. The way your nostrils flare up when you mutter."

Enfri covered her nose. "The way I what?"

Thal chuckled. "It's unmistakable. The same expressions. The same manners. You are undoubtedly Yora's daughter."

"Did you know my father?" Enfri asked in amazement.

Thal nodded. "It may be too generous to say I knew him, but I did know of him. Spoke with him on a number of occasions. I hadn't been Ambrose's apprentice for years at that point, but I often aided him when he went on campaign. My former master took a great interest in your father during the Nadian Rebellion, especially of the rumors of him talking to silver animals when he believed no one could see."

"Deebee the Blabbermouth strikes again," Enfri sighed. "Was my father in on it? Did he know you all knew about him, I mean?"

"Of our plans to train and conceal a new Dragon Emperor?" Thal smiled wanly. "No, we never did reveal ourselves to Sergeant Yora, and we've spent the last twenty years kicking ourselves for not doing so. How might it all have gone differently had we been just a little more open? Would he have felt the need to reenlist in Teularon? Would he have been at our side where he could've been protected from the likes of Vintus? Where might we stand today if Shan Alee was reborn decades ago? Might even your aunt have been spared the worst she received from Althandor and ended this mad quest for revenge before it began? I ask myself these questions often."

"Fate can be cruel," Enfri agreed.

"Cruelties come often from Fate," Thal recited as if it were a common saying, "but so too does kindness." She looked from Enfri to Jin. "There are things written in Kumo's web so unlikely that one could name them impossible. Then, they happen, and when they do, there is nothing for it but to be grateful."

Jin took hold of Enfri's hand. "I could not agree more, my lady."

"Dear girls," Thal said, wistful. "My old bones feel a little warmer knowing we have souls such as yours on our side. Let us hope Fate is through being cruel. That old spider owes us something happier by now, don't you think?"

Enfri leaned a little into Jin's shoulder and clung to her arm. She looked forward to collecting on that promise of a happy ending to this story. After everything, she and Jin would be together forever, and no outside force would ever steal that hope for happiness away from them.

We're going to be married, Enfri promised herself, one more time. Winds, let it be so.

Like a dark cloud, Shoen's presence appeared alongside her thoughts. I've finally come to a decision about you, girl, he growled.

Enfri closed her eyes. She felt a headache coming on, and an upset stomach to boot.

Can it wait? Enfri thought back. I'll listen to you tell me how stupid I am later, but I'm busy right now.

He ignored her request. I know what you are, Enfri the Yora.

Enfri let out a quiet breath as she stood a little straighter. Very well. Let me have it. What am I?

You are a disease.

"Ugh," Enfri groaned tiredly.

"My heart?" Jin whispered in concern.

"Sulky ancestors being sulky," Enfri explained. "Nothing new."

Jin frowned and held onto Enfri's hand a little tighter.

A disease, Shoen continued, the most insidiously infectious disease humanity has ever known.

As you say. I get it. Now, if you don't mind, I have more important things to do.

Listen to your betters when they speak! Shoen's shout made Enfri flinch. You've been a thorn to my hand ever since you first awakened to your true power. Time and again, you have ignored the wisdom we offer you. Shoen grunted. It's infuriating. All I've ever known to be true, all I've ever learned, tells me of the weakness inherent in kindness. That defeat is the only possibility at the end of compassion. Emperors and empresses don't have the luxury of such things, no matter how much we may wish for them. Victory comes solely to those willing to do what's necessary to secure it.

Enfri clucked her tongue. You've mentioned.

Your naiveté will be the death of us all, Shoen whispered. There is no longer a hope for this world. After all I sacrificed to stop them, the old masters have won. My only consolation is that once you are destroyed, our torment will end. After six hundred years of being tethered to this doomed world by our elder bloodline, the Dragon Emperors shall finally see what lies Beyond.

Blustering pessimist, Enfri scolded. What's got you in such a sour mood? Worse than usual, I mean. You still have your precious Elise.

A disease, Shoen restated. The sickness that killed the world's last chance for survival.

Then, he left her.

It was a more complete absence than his usual storming off. Enfri felt inexplicably empty, alone in her own mind. A part of her felt... abandoned.

"Is something wrong?" Jin asked in a whisper. "My heart, you've gone pale."

Thal put a hand to Enfri's shoulder. "Majesty?"

"I'm not..." Enfri furrowed her brow and turned to look at Jin. "I'm not sure. Something's wrong, my light. It was different from his other tirades. Like Shoen was afraid. Like he's... given up."

Jin's eyes flickered towards Elise before coming back to Enfri. "Is that not a good thing?"

Enfri put her hand to her forehead. "I used to think so. Now I'm not sure."

Kolbat and Darian were starting to take notice that something was amiss. Saveen wrung her hands and darted looks to the others.

Enfri was conscious of Jin keeping a concerned eye on her, but she was distracted by Shoen's behavior. He was gone. He and all the other Dragon Emperors. Enfri stretched her awareness into the other place, the world of sand and ghosts, but felt nothing of them.

Papa? she thought, tentative. Grandfather? Winds, if you're listening, tell me now because you're scaring the gold out of my hair!

No voices, either welcome or unwelcome ones, answered her.

How? Enfri thought in a daze. Winds, why?

Confused, Enfri looked over at where Elise stood. Her followers clustered around her, postures anxious. Elise... she was trembling. She held her forehead much as Enfri was, and her eyes were wide open and frightened. She met Enfri's gaze, a question plainly written on her face.

Enfri shook her head, and that seemed to worry Elise even further.

What could it mean? Shoen might have been throwing a tantrum of sorts in a childish attempt to make a point. But what if he was being prevented from speaking, and this wasn't by his will? However, the most disturbing thought Enfri had was if this was exactly as Shoen had said, and he no longer believed there was any hope of stopping the doom.

The Dragon Emperor who sacrificed Shan Alee to thwart the old masters had lost the will to fight.

Because of me, Enfri thought. He never thought I could do it, but Elise...

Enfri looked once more towards her aunt and wondered what might've led Shoen to doubt Elise just as much as he doubted her.

Winds take appearances. Enfri prepared to march over to Elise and ask if she had any idea what was going on. Whatever their differences were, they suddenly seemed petty and inconsequential next to what losing their ancestors could mean.

Before she had the chance, the page boy returned to the front of the room. He raised his hand overhead, and a bright flame burst from his palm. The young sorcerer's manifestation signaled an immediate halt to conversation in the lodge, and silence fell over all gathered.

From the back of the lodge, a small doorway opened, and Mogga was the first to enter. He was followed by two young men who appeared to be in their twenties. They, like the Founder, had seven Dekaam spikes embedded around their necks like collars.

Skindancers, Enfri thought. Mogga's children, except they wear skins unlike their parent.

The Founder and his brood were given courtesies by everyone they passed. Heads bowed, and whispered voices murmured in respectful tones. Mogga gave bare nods to his people as he made his way to the front of the lodge and took his place between Enfri and Elise's groups.

Behind Mogga came four Aleesh. Three men and one woman, none of the elders were younger than sixty. Enfri had met with each of them on multiple occasions over the past few days, but other than Shifri, Elder of the Fourth Summit, Enfri didn't feel like she had their firm support.

The elders came and sat on mats of woven reeds in front of everyone else. Each elder represented a summit within the Aleesh caste system. The labor of the fifth summit, the producers of the fourth, the tradesmen of the third, and the supervising masters of the second. By Enfri's understanding, it was little changed from how the summits worked in the old empire, with one crucial difference. The summits were separated, but the division wasn't necessarily one of wealth or power. It was one of function. Farmers and prospectors were on the fourth summit, but should one become successful enough to oversee many farms or mines, they'd ascend straight to the second summit. The hierarchy wasn't quite so stark as it'd been in Shoen's day, and words like sion or nomin were antiquated to the point of being derogatory.

The summits weren't equal, but Enfri saw less imbalance between social classes in Chaya Domun than in the Five Kingdoms. She couldn't imagine noble houses inviting a village headman to take part in matters of state. Outside of Shan Alee's knighthoods, it simply didn't happen. Here, at least, the farmers and water-carriers were afforded an opportunity to voice their opinions.

Not to say there weren't oddities. Enfri had been shocked to learn that Therrak's cook was more highly placed on the second summit than he was; Old Kilthari's recipe for poached serpent was apparently very well-regarded. Servants could be, and frequently were, the social superiors of their employers.

Enfri couldn't help but think Reyn would've seen it as the most sensible thing in the world.

Once the elders were settled and an impatient murmur began to rise among the Aleesh, Mogga raised his arms for their attention. In the flickering lantern light, the black vapor that rose from his skinless body made him appear as a shadow given form.

"My people," Mogga began, "a moment we have long awaited lies before the Aleesh of Chaya Domun. In the long centuries that have passed since the fall of the empire, since the days I and my dearest friends led your forebears to our home, we have long prayed to the spirits within the flames to return to us that which was thought lost. Without the protection of arcanist knights and the mighty, we were helpless in the face of Queen Algara's retribution. We were laid bare to Karst's strength, to Akazewi's intellect, to Teranor's cunning, and to Marcel's resolve. For the sins of an empire which abandoned us, we have been hunted since the day the death curse fell, and we have had no one to safeguard our lives. Tonight, our exile within the Reach may at last come to an end. The first summit of legend has returned."

It might've been too much for Enfri to hope for a sense of excitement. The Aleesh gave off a sense of something different. Almost like resignation, and most assuredly of fear.

"Two claimants for the title of Dragon Empress stand before us," Mogga said. "Each of them has demonstrated the truth of their blood. Many of you, and myself included, have witnessed that the bonds of old are being forged anew. The blood of Inwé has miraculously survived the destruction of our sister enclave, where my friend, the last surviving heir to Shoen, fled to. What we thought lost in Ejasta lives on in two women who now stand before us.

"Your elders have heard the words of these claimants. Many of you have been given the chance to speak with them and their loyal companions. I shall not hedge my words now, for we have been confronted with the truth that the first summit is divided. Now the decision falls to us of whom we shall recognize as the Dragon Empress of Shan Alee."

Mogga faced Elise and raised a palm towards her.

"Raised from birth to rule the Aleesh, keeper of the bloodsong passed down through the centuries from the last son of Shoen, and she who holds the will and power to strike back against Althandor and the Five Kingdoms. By right of succession, Elise Alinwé First Summit makes her claim."

A large number of the people raised their voices in support of Elise. They stomped their feet or pounded fists to their chests. Tola and the huntsmen were among the loudest of her supporters. There were many others, particularly from among the fifth and second summits.

Mogga turned and gestured towards Enfri.

"Born of Aleesh and Althandi blood, commander of a legion that has stood against the greatest military powers and prevailed, owner of fertile lands awaiting a people, head of a noble house in good standing within the Five Kingdoms, betrothed to the child of Cathis the Algara, and an ally of powerful forces from across the Continent. By right of sovereignty, Enfri the Yora First Summit makes her claim."

Enfri didn't think herself capable of judging without her worries coloring her perception, but she felt that the support that followed her name was the lesser. She'd made great strides convincing the fourth summit by promising them land in which they could grow their crops, and the third by citing the need for skilled craftsmen in a new city. However, her promises of peace and prosperity came with a caveat. All she wanted to give them could be taken away in an instant if House Algara pulled the rug out from under her.

"Your elders have heard their claims," Mogga said. "Before making a final decision of whether to choose one claimant, another, or neither, we must face facts. Whatever decision is arrived upon, our life in Chaya Domun has come to a close. As we have been warned by both claimants, the Highest King and his vassals are now aware of our existence. As your Founder, I offer you this one piece of advice." He took in a deep breath. "Choose wisely, but you must choose. The trials that stand before the Aleesh are not the sort that can be weathered on our own. To endure the evils of the old masters, we will need a strong empress. That is all I have to say. Let the elder claimant speak first."

Mogga's children took him by the arms and escorted him towards a place he might rest. Enfri expected Elise to storm right up to the space he vacated and begin shouting about injustice and righteous fury. Instead, she was reserved as she took hesitant steps to stand before their people.

"I won't waste my time and yours," Elise began softly, but as she spoke, her voice became filled with a fiery passion. "You know who I am and what I mean to do. There's nothin' in this world that can stop me. When it comes down to it, I don't need you to choose to follow me. I am the Dragon Empress, and I will put an end to the monsters you're afraid of. So, I won't waste my time talkin' about me." She turned to look at Enfri. "I'm gonna tell you about her."

Jin shifted her feet but held back from putting a protective arm around Enfri's shoulders like she clearly wished to. Enfri braced herself.

"This girl," Elise said, and her voice lost its fire, "is wonderful."

The breath left Enfri's lungs, and her heart felt as if it stopped beating. Uncomprehending, she could do nothing but stare. Elise didn't look away from her. She met Enfri's eyes while tears formed in her own.

"She will protect you, and she'll never once ask that you kneel to her to be protected. She'll do it if you ask her to or not. Flames, but she'll do it even if you tell her not to. She'll care for your sick. She'll comfort your children. She'll stand by you when times are hard, and she'll celebrate with you when all's well. There's nothin' this soft-hearted girl wants more than to see all of you safe and happy for the rest of your lives, and..." Her tears fell. "And she'll do it. There's no way she won't, because this daft fool doesn't know how to quit. She doesn't know how to fail. My niece can do the impossible just because she's too stubborn to admit it's impossible. And I've seen her do the impossible again and again, so I know better than anyone what kind of empress she'll be— what kind of empress she already is. Enfri is the strongest woman I know, and you'd best have faith she'll give you the peace she's been tellin' you about."

The lodge was filled with a stunned silence. Someone could have dropped a button and it would've echoed like thunder. So there was no missing it when Elise sniffed and wiped at her eyes before turning to the people.

"Enfri is the Dragon Empress who will save the Aleesh. Come what may, she will make a new world where you don't have to be afraid anymore. That's why I withdraw my claim to Chaya Domun."

Near the back of the room, Tola cried out in denial. His shout was echoed by many others. As for Enfri, she was grateful that Jin and now Darian had firm grips on her arms, because she was certain she'd have dropped to her backside by now if they didn't.

Enfri wanted to ask why Elise was saying this, but she already knew. Shoen had meant what he said when he called Enfri a disease. She'd infected Shoen's favored descendent with...something that wasn't hate.

"I'm not finished," Elise said, raising her voice. She held up her palm, and now her eyes glowered. "This world Enfri plans to make, it's not a world I can live in. It's not a world many of you can live in, either."

Enfri could feel Jin shaking. It was hard taking her eyes away from Elise, but she looked up at Jin with worry. "My light?"

"Winds take her," Jin hissed. "My heart, she's... Winds and storms, you can't let her."

Realization of what Elise intended hit her in the next moment. She snapped her eyes back to her, but she didn't know what she could do to stop it.

"Any of you who wish to take a stand against Cathis," Elise shouted, "follow me instead. My niece will find a way to keep your families safe, but I will bring you the war you crave. I will lead you into the heart of Althandor, and with my dragons beneath you and myself leadin' the charge, we will strike a blow against the Highest King the world will never forget! For the hundreds of families sacrificed to the black hounds, for the thousands slain in Ejasta, for the millions of our people who've been slaughtered since Shan Alee fell, for yourselves! Together, we will take our vengeance!"

Tola didn't waste a moment on hesitation. He pushed his way forward through the crowd while calling to Elise as loud as he could. "I will go with you! I will follow no empress but Elise Alinwé!"

Tola's huntsmen joined his declaration. Others were standing up, youths and old men, even the elder of the fifth summit. Elise had said this was her talent. She knew how to needle the right nerve.

Others were getting up, but to try to calm their neighbors. Therrak tried getting to his son and dissuade him, but his pleas fell on deaf ears. The lodge erupted into chaos, angry shouts and desperate weeping as families were split down idealogical lines. Old disagreements flared up as brothers accused each other of cowardice or of recklessness.

And Enfri felt a spell echo behind her. It was close enough that she could sense it clearly and knew the essence. Fire.

Jin screamed as spellfire burst across her body. The flames spread, shooting upwards to engulf the rafters. The roof of thatched reeds burst alight and caught along the wooden beams. It spread as if the wood was covered with lamp oil. The lodge burned.

If it'd been chaos before, it was now anarchy. People surged towards the few doorways, even trying to escape through the small windows. Cardin and the others pushed their way through to Elise and formed a ring around her with weapons drawn. Everywhere, the screams only grew with the heat of the flames.

"My light!" Enfri dropped to her knees beside Jin. She was badly hurt. Her armor had taken the brunt of the spellfire blast, but the back of it had been scorched away. The flesh underneath was a mess of red burns and forming blisters. It was by a miracle or perhaps a hastily erected ward that she'd escaped being seared to the bone.

"Get the empress away!" Jin said through clenched teeth. She'd gotten to her hands and knees and was already grabbing for her sword. Her pain was intense enough that she could barely move.

Enfri struggled against the grip Kolbat and Darva tried to get on her. She wouldn't leave while Jin was injured! Then her eyes landed on Darian.

He stood behind where Jin had been, and Enfri could feel more spell echoes coming from him. Wards and self-enchantments were layering over his body by his unshackled sorcery. The seals on his ether were somehow gone.

"You did this!" Enfri shouted.

Suuri and Calton pulled steel and brandished their swords at him. There was a calm look in Darian's eyes, one that Enfri didn't think belonged on a man wi dragons looking at him with enraged eyes.

"You fools," Darian said quietly. "Stones take you all."

Enfri felt her lips curl back to bare her teeth. She'd never felt anger so consuming before. They'd expected treachery from Darian, but Enfri never suspected he'd be so brazen as to show his true colors while surrounded on all sides. He wasn't just the traitor they'd been hunting for. He was a blustering madman!

"Stop him!" Enfri shouted.

Darian reacted quickly. He lunged towards Calton and shoved him towards Grimdar and Saveen. With magic-enhanced dexterity, he ducked beneath Suuri's sword and broke away from her. Adar stood in his path, his hands forming somatics. Darian pulled something from his coat pocket, an uncut gemstone, and threw it to Adar's feet.

The lodge shook as a mound of stone erupted from underneath Adar. It was more than a simple earth spell. Sections of the floor collapsed into sinkholes as the ground beneath the structure roiled to form new terrain. Adar was caught off-balance, but Darian moved as if he knew exactly where each new projection of stone would appear before it burst from the floorboards. He leapt from pillar to pillar, rising higher towards the ceiling, before smashing his way through the burning walls.

"After him!" Grimdar shouted.

"Wait," Enfri called. "Grimdar, you and Saveen see to those fires. Adar, Calton, and Suuri, make exits so everyone can get out." Lastly, Enfri turned to Kolbat. "You and your Corsair will catch that thrall."

Darva readied spells to take him and his Pearl Knight after Darian. "And if he resists?"

Enfri looked down at Jin's injuries. "Make sure he never hurts anyone again. Whatever it takes."

As they all rushed to follow Enfri's commands, Lady Thal knelt to assist with Jin. Her hands were shaking like leaves. "Your Highness..."

"I'm alright," Jin hissed. She flinched as Enfri tore tattered bits of charred leather away from her wounds.

"You are most certainly not alright," Enfri said. "Lady Thal, is there any chance some of those lost magics you're studying can heal second degree burns? I don't have the right potions or any reagents."

"Just a moderate familiarity with the restoration school, I'm afraid."

"Good enough," Enfri said. She wasn't sure how she managed it, but she hauled Jin to her feet all on her own. Taking Jin's weight almost entirely on herself, Enfri assisted her towards a broken section of the wall where Adar had smashed an escape for the panicking crowds.

Once outside, she looked behind her. The lodge was almost entirely engulfed in flames despite Grimdar and Saveen's best efforts. Worse, the fires were spreading to other structures, and even to the trees themselves.

Shouts and screams filled the night. Enclave citizens and Enfri's crews were organizing into bucket brigades while arcanists conjured spouts of water or transmuted the air to snuff out flames. They'd given up on saving the lodge and now worked to limit the damage to the rest of the enclave.

Elsewhere, Elise and her followers were gathering. They'd grown in number. Tola and the huntsmen, dozens of others. Elise directed them to get people away from where it was most dangerous, and also to make preparations to leave Chaya Domun.

"This is her doing!" Tola shouted. "The usurper saw how many flocked to you, and she..."

Elise slapped him. Tola silenced himself at once and looked at her with shock as he held his cheek.

"Don't be an idiot, boy," Elise said. "If you believe that for a second, you're too daft to become my next Onyx." She looked in Enfri's direction. "This is my fault. It was my knife who did this by turning on us both. Flames take Inwé, but he was right. I should've extended my hand first."

Odjualla and Landon came running to help Enfri, but she didn't have eyes for anyone but Elise. She let them take Jin from her, and she went to her aunt. Elise left her knights behind to meet her halfway.

"Elise..."

She took Enfri by the arms. "All of this," she said. "It shouldn't have happened like this. None of it. I haven't done a single thing right by you since I met you."

They clasped each other's forearms. Enfri didn't know what to say. So many things were going on around her, but for the moment, none seemed so pressing as finding something she could say to express what she was feeling. Winds, but she didn't even know what she was feeling.

There was a tremor in Elise's lip, and her tears made tracks through the soot on her cheeks left by the fires. "I'm sorry."

As if the words could dissolve stone, Enfri felt the walls she'd built up between them crumble. She sobbed. "Don't go."

Elise bent and pressed their foreheads together. She held onto Enfri's face, and her voice had grown so small that Enfri could barely hear what she said. "Never forget, Enfri. You're my baby brother's little girl, and no matter what happens after tonight, I'll always love you."

"Please," Enfri begged. She clung to Elise and held on as tight as she could. "I don't care what Cathis thinks. I want you with me. I need you."

Elise let out a short breath. She held Enfri to her chest and stroked her hair. "You're better off far away from me, but... when it's over, if we're both still standin', maybe then."

Enfri didn't want to let go, but Elise pulled from her. She backed away towards her waiting knights.

"It doesn't have to be like this," Enfri said. Even now, she reached out for her aunt.

"It couldn't ever be any other way," Elise replied. "My war began a long time ago, and I couldn't stop it if I wanted to. There's no place for people like me in your world. I don't deserve it."

"I won't give up on you!" Enfri shouted after her.

"Fool girl," Elise scoffed before turning her back. She spoke over her shoulder as she gestured for her dragons to assume their truest forms. "You got bigger problems. I renounced my claim on this place, remember? This is your mess now."

"You beast," Enfri whispered in disbelief.

She stomped after her aunt and shook her fist as Elise and her new recruits boarded dragons. They soon took the sky and left Chaya Domun behind.

"Leaving me holding the bag?" Enfri shouted uselessly after them. "The bag that's on fire? I take it all back! Go, then, you blustering termagant! See if I care, and you can bet your last penny I won't let you run wild and make a mess of things for Shan Alee! Truce cancelled!"

Someone cleared their throat behind her. Enfri spun around to find Mogga and his two children.

"Founder," Enfri said, bobbing a hasty curtsy. "You'd best stay clear of the flames. I'm told that's worse for skindancers than anyone. Please, let my people assist with putting all this out."

Mogga blew out his cheeks and made a dismissive gesture. It was a rather odd thing to see on a face without skin. "Bah. We're just going to abandon it all anyway come morning."

"Did... did your accent just change? To an Althandi accent?"

"I'd best get used to it now. The decision was taken from us, so it seems like you're the empress what we're going to follow."

"Elise really didn't give you a choice, did she? I even had a really good speech prepared. I was going to say all sorts of pretty words about hope and everything."

Mogga snorted. "Well, if it makes you feel better, I meant to argue for you, and I'm sure these folk could stand to hear a little about hope on the road south. In the meantime, your dragons are containing the blaze, your knight is pursuing the saboteur responsible, and you have a royal assassin in need of your care."

Enfri looked over to where Thal was casting some basic healing spells on Jin's back. "As you say, but for what it's worth, I don't plan on every day under my rule being like this."

Mogga sighed resignedly. "I certainly hope not, my empress."