The First climbed onto the nearest bench, Uncle Byorsh hurrying to hold her steady when she wobbled, but she swatted him away.
“Darsha, please take the unforged to their rooms,” she ordered her niece, who barely looked like she was holding it together.
Stepping from the wall where she had retreated, Darsha began gathering up her own three children, her nephew, and gestured for Misha to follow. There was relief on her face, like Darsha wanted to be anywhere but in that hall, and Iryana couldn’t blame her. She had lost her husband to the dakii years ago, her mothertoo, and now her brother? She was the only living adult on their side of the family, likely responsible for her nephew now too.
Poor Velimik. Iryana’s eyes burned as she watched the small five-year-old cling to his aunt.
“I will go nurse Anara and put her down for a nap,” Teshya murmured, wincing and rubbing at her temples as she slipped from the room.
The First stared down those that remained. “If any of you aren’t prepared to discuss this like adults, you may leave.” She took extra time staring down some of Iryana’s cousins.
Iryana found herself pulled by Tonhald onto one of the central benches. Her whole body felt stiff as all her hopes and relief from the last week were wrung from her drip by drip.
“So you’ve joined the gangs?” The First said suddenly, making Iryana whip her head toward her grandmother.
Iryana swallowed. “Yes, the 18th. To find the metal well.”
“And you didn’t think to tell us about this plan?” The First’s glare turned onto Hadima. “You’ve been hiding this from us. What is the point of being a Kleesold Guardian if you will not let us help you? If you won’t do these things with us?”
“I’m so sorry, Grandmother, you’re right,” Hadima answered meekly, twisting one of her pale braids. “It was one of Iryana’s conditions that no one—”
Iryana cut in, “I didn’t want anyone to get their hopes up. I—could have easily failed. And the less you all were involved, the less likely it would backfire on the clan…”
Though that didn’t even feel like it contained half her worries.
The First watched her for a moment, and it was the same way she usually did in her office when she was wondering if Iryana would finally come home. Her shallow breathing, her pounding heart—it all seemed to get worse under that stare.
“No more secrets.” The First took a slow breath, rubbing at her face until a look of exhaustion so pronounced crossed over her face that Iryana worried she was about to collapse.
“Then I should mention that a few of us found out a while ago,” Tonhald admitted quietly.
Kladara glared at her brother.
The First just sighed. “We will deal with that later.”
“How did you do it?” Uncle Byorsh asked, looking intently at Iryana. His leg was still bandaged, and he’d lost weight.
Iryana stammered for a moment, unsure what to say.
Hadima sighed. “She was lucky enough to have impressed the 18th’s leader when he saw her taking down a dakya in the forest. And he invited her.”
“You went into the Yuresh Valley after I’d forbidden it?” Vesima snapped, making Iryana wince.
“He was in the area?” Aunt Emadya cut in, her face scrunched with worry.
The First gave Iryana a cutting look. “So you must have told them you weren’t one of us? That you had no loyalties? That’s the only way they would have taken in a guardian.”
Something foul ran its way over Iryana’s body. Her hands squeezed so tightly that her nails bit into her palms, but she couldn’t stop. She needed to leave, to breathe fresh air, but she was surrounded and her grandmother had her pinned in place with that stare.
Voice tight, Iryana forced herself to answer. “I’ve always been a loner, so it wasn’t too hard to convince them. I just trained with them and scouted and…” Iryana gulped. And helped Karvek murder the late general, prepare for war, who knows what else. “I have a guardian’s training, so they were impressed.”
Iryana pulled the map to the well out of her bag and placed it in front of the First. “This is a map to the Temple of Noshriven, where there is a metal well. The Keeper there, Tomislar, said he would forge anyone who could get there.”
The First looked carefully over the map. “Ifwe can get there.”
They had a metal well, Iryana had done her part. Her grandmother and the others would know what to do now; it would be off Iryana’s shoulders. And they would have more important things to worry about than Iryana. She could sink back into the background while they finished saving the family until they forgot the part Iryana had played.
But the First was still watching her so intently as she sat back down that Iryana squirmed.
