“It is nothing for you,Kyzaire,” he argued, shrugging one of his wings. The membranes held silver ink. Tattoos, I realized.
“You think two hundredtunofdravais nothing?” I asked.
“For you? Yes. But it is everything for my people. You cut us off of our own land. The Three Guardians was once ours. Remember that, son of the Kaalium?” he questioned.
I did everything to hide my own glare until I knew there was a solid wall of ice over my features, revealing nothing. Zyre only observed my reaction, eyes narrowing. I realized he hadn’t said that to make me mad. He’d only wanted to see what I woulddo.
Dangerous indeed,I thought, taking a step away from him.
“Blood was shed on both sides in that war. Both sides made decisions they might’ve regretted. Your ancestorsandmine.”
“But only one side got the ultimate reward,” Zyre finished. “The land.”
“Are we here to debate ancient history?” Lucen asked. “Or are we here to negotiate?”
“To negotiate, of course,” Zyre answered, never breaking my gaze.
“Yet we don’t even know what we’re negotiating for,” Azur said, stepping up to my side. Zyre was only an arm’s length away. Azur could make a quick strike with his gauntlets, and Zyre would bleed out at our booted feet. “Because you’ve told us nothing. Maybe because you have nothing and you’re trying to squeeze the Kaalium for whatever you think you can get, still bitter over a war that ended centuries ago.”
“Azur,” I said, feeling my twin’s temper rise.
Zyre only smiled. “The Dyaar and the Thryki have made a war bond with one another. Sealed in the blood of their kings. Two months ago.”
Azur and I both stilled. I heard a soft curse leave Thraine behind us.
“My own spies within Thrykan confirmed it. I received their report two weeks ago.”
“You don’t have spies within Thrykan,” Azur scoffed. “Not evenwecan get spies into Thrykan.”
“I have my methods,” Zyre said, cocking his head to the side. “In all your arrogance, do you honestly believe that just becauseyoucannot do something, it cannot be done? In all your arrogance, have you ever considered that the Kaazor might offer you something that you cannot get yourself? Hmm. Perhaps Iamnegotiating with the wrong nation in this war. As my advisors have told me repeatedly.”
His implication made my shoulders tense.
“If you truly believed that, you wouldn’t be here,” I said quietly, keeping his eyes.
Warwascoming. We all knew it. Zyre’s information only confirmed it if the Dyaar and the Thryki were making war bonds. And I believed him. I didn’t think he would lie about this.
“We will need to see those reports before we agree to anything,” I told him. “But we both know that you want more thanloreanddrava. And you know that the Kaalium would benefit from your armies. You know that we would not want your numbers against us, coming from the North, while the Dyaar and Thryki land at our shores from the South and the East.”
It was Azur’s turn to reprimand me with a sharp look.
I was only being honest. We all needed to hang our cocks out and spread our wings wide if we were going to come to an agreement that mutually benefitedbothnations.
“So what are we really doing here?” I asked Zyre. “We all know the best path through this war is to bind our nations together. You benefit from our wealth and supplies. And your armies would help shorten a war that would save thousands and thousands of lives across the KaaliumandKaazor. That’s what we are truly negotiating, is it not? You don’t want a war. Just like we don’t. That’s what we have in common.”
“A war bond,” Zyre murmured, a smirk twitching at the corner of his lips. “I’ll take your offer back to my advisors. But even if I do, I don’t think you’ll like the terms I set.”
“Beyond theloreand thedrava, what else do you want?” Azur growled.
His eyes were glinting. “I want one more thing. But I won’t ask for that quite yet. War is not here, but we can start discussing the terms in the coming months. I’ve always wanted to return to Laras. Such beauty. Tell me, how is your sister?”
Lucen rumbled behind us. “Keep her out of this, Zyre.”
He and Kalia were closest in age. They’d been attached at the wing from a young age, and naturally, both were more protective of the other.
“For now, I will,” Zyre said in reply. Then he was walking backward, like a shadow sinking toward the safety of the dark forest. “I’ll send you the report. It’s obvious to me that the Thryki were trying to cause trouble on the mainland between the Kaalium and the Kaazor with their band of spies. There are more. And there will be more. But if you need the proof, then you’ll have your proof. Me? I don’t need to see what is plainly written in blood before us all.”
With that, Zyre turned his back on us, flaring his wings wide and disappearing into the darkness of the forest. A shrill, familiar whistle sounded. Then the trees seemed to vibrate, a gust of wind funneling toward us. Akyrivshot up from the forest, the glint of the silver wings of its rider gleaming on its back.
