"You think the Sun did this?" Bala asked.
"I think it's no coincidence that the Sun appeared and Nyssa unlocked her fire powers two days later with a panic attack."
"What if Arbina did accidentally give her fire—“
"And the Sun made it stronger," Nadir finished. "Like the first King's. What if she sensed it in Nyssa and remembered what it had been when she used to be in the room with Arbina?"
"And her panic set it off? Her core grabbing onto it like you said," Bala said with a nod to Nadir. "One more thing to get back at her daughter for," she muttered. "I am so tired of her children being pawns."
"Wait—“ Lex interjected, face furling with confusion. "When you say her core grabbed onto it... What does that mean? You make it sound like she has some different entity inside her."
"The Kings of this land have always had powers greater than the rest of us. Arbina and Duarb constantly showing up the other," Nadir said. "Their cores have always been the source of that power."
Bala rubbed her hands together, eyes fixating on a spot on the floor. "It feels like a constant knot in your gut," she said softly. "It feels like a connection to something that constantly wants to overpower or protect you. When I was learning how to manipulate wind, Draven would always tell me I had to keep a lock on it. That if I allowed my core to take over, it would protect me in any way it saw fit."
"I think that’s why Aydra could connect so strongly with the creatures," Nadir said. "I spoke with Lovi about it. It wanted to protect her. It's what the Promised King's true forms are connected to. And I'm thinking when Nyssa let go to feel the Ulfram that night, she allowed it some leverage over herself."
"Until it broke, and she shut the creatures out," Lex cut in.
Nadir nodded. "And it pulled for the next strongest thing." He pushed his hands behind his head, a great sigh emitting from him. "We could ask about it," he suggested, looking at Bala.
"Ask who?" Lex asked.
Bala didn't need to ask who he meant. "How do you plan on calling the Sun?" she asked.
"I can't," Nadir said. "But you could. You're a child of the Sun too."
Bala shifted on her feet as she considered it. "I don't think finding out how she acquired those powers is our first priority right now," she said. "I would rather focus on—“ A realization hit her then, and her heart stopped. "She's going to use it, isn't she? To get out of there. She'll call the Noctuans if she can and use her fire. She'll use all her powers."
Nadir didn't respond immediately, but then he nodded his head, and she knew he was thinking the same as her.
"Nadir, we have to get her out of there before she does that," Bala affirmed.
"She won't allow it."
"I don't care," Bala argued. "She doesn't know what it will do. Her core being stretched in too many places, it might... She might..."
The chair hit her again, and she stared off, thoughts of what might happen to their Princess clouding her vision. Her becoming nothing more than a shell, as though the Berdijay had taken her. Exhausting herself and dying.
"That's why I'm going to be there when it happens," Nadir said.
The confirmation in his tone made Bala look up, and she saw a glisten in Nadir's eyes.
"I will not lose her again," he promised.
Bala almost laughed. "You know damn well you can't make that promise. This is Nyssari. Running into situations with fear coursing through her bones. Putting herself on the line in a far different way than Aydra would have."
It was Lex that scoffed this time. "Aydra would have rather died than become a silent prisoner," she muttered.
"You haven't sent word to her brother, have you?" Bala asked then.
Nadir looked at her like she'd grown another head. "You still have a forest, don't you? No, I didn't tell him. I'm not ready to die. With any luck, she'll do what she needs and get out of there before he ever finds out."
"Which is another reason why we need to get her out now," Bala affirmed. "If Dorian even gets a feeling she is in danger, he will take down everything on his way to her."
Lex snorted.
Bala and Nadir stared at her.
