More people gathered at the plateau’s edge. I saw Caylus and Kiva, Auma and Elkona, Samra and—there. Queen Luhara emerged from one of the nearby corridors, her normally impassive face slack with wonder.
You are a tempest of lightning and thunder. You give me strength, and you will do the same for them.
I leaned close to Res, “Show them what you can do.”
The storm erupted. Wind spiraled around us in a cyclone. The rain fell still, the droplets hanging midair. They turned first to ice, then mist. An inky shadow rose, swirling dark ribbons into the wind before dispersing, only to be replaced by tongues of fire. I could feel Res’s concentration, his struggle for control as he reached out for one power and then the next. But he didn’t falter.
He let the flames go and the shadows settle, let the rain fall and the wind quiet. Then he alighted effortlessly behind the growing crowd beside where Estrel had just arrived.
Queen Luhara stepped forward. “What is the meaning of this?”
“Your Majesty.” I inclined my head. “I intended to submit a formal request in the morning for another meeting to discuss our kingdoms’ alliance, but I never have been very good at political conversation. You were concerned about Res’s abilities; it seemed more fitting to show you.”
Res screeched again, flaring his wings to their full impressive width. Even in the dim light of the storm, they cast a shadow over the gasping crowd.
“The Ambriels are with Rhodaire,” Estrel said with a nod to Samra, who returned it. “As is, recently, Jindae.”
Queen Luhara looked to Elkona and Auma, who bowed their heads.
“I’ve learned from my mother’s mistakes,” I said. “She tried to close Rhodaire to the world, thinking that would keep it safe. But in the end, it only made us weaker. I want to be better than her. I want todobetter. Let me show you that I can. Ally with us. Help us defeat Illucia.”
The snap of Res’s energy faded as he let the storm dissipate, his eyes returning to their normal gray as the sky outside thinned, blooming cobalt once more.
In the resounding silence, the air felt alive.
The queen surveyed us with scrutinizing eyes. Then she lifted her head, her strong voice carrying across the courtyard. “Trendell has been a nation at peace for as long as our history remembers. We have striven hard to remain neutral, to be a place of learning and growth, not destruction.”
I stilled.
She inclined her head. “But we recognize that a change is upon the world. If we do not act, we will be acted on. Trendell will ally with Rhodaire.”
* * *
I felt like a cloth someone had wrung dry, every ounce of emotion spent and gone. It left me feeling strangely light, as if a gentle breeze could carry me away. I’d be half-inclined to let it. After the queen had pledged Trendell to the alliance, we’d agreed to meet again the next morning to begin planning our defense. In the meantime, messenger birds were sent to Rhodaire as well as the soldiers waiting in the Ambriels and Jindae. One was even sent to Korovi in a plea for them to reconsider their position.
Then the courtyard emptied, leaving me alone with Kiva, Estrel, Caylus, and Res. I sprawled out in the grass, releasing a breath it felt I’d been holding for a lifetime.
“I can’t believe it worked.” My lips twitched, spreading into a grin. The feeling was infectious, matching smiles filling Estrel’s and Kiva’s faces.
“Well done, Little Peep,” Estrel said, and my heart swelled.
Twenty-Two
I’d never seen such an amazing feast.
The long corridor table had been laden with food and drink for the second of the three Belin’s Day feasts, from roasted lamb in a blackberry glaze to vegetables marinated in rosemary and oil and platters of fresh cheese and grapes. A three-tiered stand held everything from dark chocolate cake to creamy fruit tarts sprinkled with cocoa, and pitchers of wine sat beside jars of Rhodairen talcé. Vines of purple and white flowers wound up the table legs and draped across its surface, glowing in the light of hanging lanterns.
A deep, sonorous string instrument intertwined with a lively drumbeat from out in the courtyard, and the chatter of people hummed in the air. Res scurried from person to person, gobbling down treats and scraps and dropped morsels.
Caylus arrived late, his auburn curls tossed askew, his golden skin flushed as if he’d run up the compound’s many stairs. He dropped into the empty seat across from me.
“Been out at more lectures?” I asked. He’d spent nearly all the time since our arrival down at the city’s university.
“They’re amazing,” he replied, slightly breathless. His tunic pockets practically overflowed with trinkets. “I’ve been attending some on man-made materials, like the glass arrows the Illucians use. Did you know that different types of glass shatter with different sounds? They called it a resonant frequency, and—” He paused, realizing he’d begun to ramble, and I bit my lip to hold back a laugh. He smiled sheepishly. “Anyway, I’m working on a project I want to show you later.”
“I’d love to see it,” I replied, relishing in this familiarity in everything around me. The sights, the smells, the sounds—they washed over me like a wave of sunlight, warm and full. Weeks ago, this moment had seemed incredibly far away. This morning, it had seemed impossible. Now it didn’t feel real.
I’d made it to Trendell. I’d forged an alliance with the other kingdoms. I had a crow whose power transcended any I’d ever seen before.
