"You don't. Not always. That is why you need others—people who see differently, who challenge your conclusions, who force you to question your own certainty.As long as you are not so arrogant as to dismiss the input of others, you will be fine. Your quintet will keep you grounded. Guard them well."
"I intend to."
Nyxath withdrew. "Go now, pattern-finder. Send the prince."
Codric rose, and for once, he did not have a clever remark. He simply nodded and left, his steps quicker than they had been upon his arrival.
I saved Alar for last.
He looked like a man who had not slept in days. Dark circles shadowed his eyes, and tension lined his face. He moved like someone twice his age, holding himself together through sheer determination.
"Prince Alaranthus," I said, using his full name deliberately.
He flinched. "I prefer Alar, Shaman Saphir. If you don't mind."
"I don't mind. But the truth of who you are matters, especially tonight."
He sat in the chair with the perfect posture of someone who had been trained from birth to present himself well, even when he was falling apart inside.
"This one bleeds from the soul," Nyxath told me privately. "He stands at a crossroads and does not know which path to choose."
She extended her presence toward Alar's mind. I felt him resist instinctively, then force himself to relax and allow the contact.
"Prince of Catonia," Nyxath said. "Fifth son of the king."
Alar nodded. "That's who I was born as. Here, I'm Alar Tekum, a cadet who is about to bond with a dragon, Kailin's partner, one of the prophesied seven who are supposed to save Aurorys. I value these titles much more than the title of prince."
I felt Nyxath send a wave of warmth toward Alar. "I assume that means you have decided to stay and attend the Day of Volition."
He didn't look surprised that she knew about the letters and the hard choices he was facing. All correspondence to and from the Citadel was scrutinized, and his parents had decided to drop the charade of him being a wealthy merchant's son and sent him a letter stamped with the royal seal. Besides, he knew better than to try to close his mind to Nyxath. He'd left it wide open to her.
"It wasn't really a choice." His voice was steady. "I've already decided. I'm bonding tomorrow. Whatever happens in Catonia, I'll deal with it afterward."
"What if your father dies?"
The question was brutal in its directness, and I watched Alar absorb it like a punch to the gut.
"Then he dies, and I live with that for the rest of my very long life."
"A hard answer."Nyxath's mental voice was gentle.
"It's the only one I can give." He met Nyxath's gaze directly. "My father spent my entire childhood preparing me for duty and teaching me that personal feelings must yield to larger obligations. It's just that his definition of obligations differ from mine. If I abandon the prophecy to sit at his deathbed, I would go against everything he tried to instill in me. It will prove that he was right about this being just a childish dream."
Nyxath was silent for a long moment.
"Your father would be proud of you," she said finally. "Even if he never admits it."
Alar's composure cracked, and he swallowed hard to regain it.
"Will I be able to go see him after the bonding?" he asked.
I had expected his question. "That depends."
"On what?"
"On whether the royal court of Catonia demands we hand you over. Otherwise, the answer is no."
He swallowed again. "If they demand it and I'm forced to go, will I be allowed to return?"
