“Iryana?” Hadima groaned, voice rough with sleep.
Iryana winced. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“You’re hurt.”
“I’m okay,” Iryana insisted. “I fell out of the tree when I wascoming to get you. Not far.”
“You’re gonna need to be better than fine if we’re going to pull this off,” Hadima argued, slowly pushing herself up. “I need supplies from my workshop.”
Her first instinct was to argue, to insist her sister not push herself, but she knew that was foolish. Iryana wasn’t in good shape, and she needed to get back to the Myura River Fort before the rest of her team.
“Okay, just tell me what to get.”
Once Hadima had helped her apply salves and bandage herself back up, Iryana was feeling a lot better. She had almost forgotten how effective her sister’s water-imbued ointments were. Still wearing yesterday’s clothes, there was little to do other than rebraid her hair. But she took her time doing that, not in a rush to leave the safe, warm bubble that was her sister’s room.
With nothing else to waylay her, Iryana tucked her sister back into bed.
“Good luck.” Hadima squeezed her hand.
“Love you,” she replied softly, slipping out of the room.
It was time to fix things.
When she came down the stairs, the Kleesolds in the main hall quieted. The instinct to look away, to flee, tensed her muscles. But she refused to listen to that fear anymore.
She met Misha’s eyes first. Her littlest sister had red, puffy eyes, and she seemed hesitant. Misha had been hurt too. There were words that needed to be said there—but that would have to come later. For now, Iryana tried to give her a smile that conveyed how sorry she was. How much she loved her.
Then she found the First—her grandmother—who was sitting across from the duchess’s representative, watching Iryana. Everyone was watching, likely wondering why Iryana was there, waiting to see what happened. There was a question in the First’s gaze, the one she was so used to seeing, so used to shrinking back from. But this time, Iryana nodded.
The First of the Guardians of Klees didn’t smile, but it was there in her eyes. She gestured for Iryana to join her. Iryana swallowed, wishing she could have this conversation in private, with as few of her family present as possible, but maybe getting it over all at once would be better.
Her heart beat wildly in her chest as Iryana crossed the room and sat down next to her grandmother. It felt surreal, like she had walked into a dream world.
“Lady Dyavara was reminding me...” Vesima raised her brow at Iryana. “That without a plan, she has little chance of convincing the duchess not to pull the post immediately. Is there anything else we have to convince the duchess?”
Iryana looked around the room, at what the outsider was seeing. Anxiety, fear, and worry were on almost every face. It was a guardian family that didn’t believe they would make it either. It was no surprise the woman, Lady Dyavara, didn’t believe in them.
Her family was resilient; they were strong. They had earned the title of guardian clan generations ago. How dare that woman forget it? That flash of anger pushed the words out of her throat.
“Our plan the other night did not go the way we expected. But it revealed what needs to happen now.”
The lady raised her brow in disbelief. A few curious glances around them twisted into confusion.
Iryana pressed forward. “Taking out their general won’t stop the entire organization. Someone else will replace him.”
“So how do you plan on dealing with a military gang that is growing wildly out of control on top of the dakii?”
“We still need to kill him,” Iryana said earnestly. “But we need to do it in a way where we cripple his followers, those in support of a war in the region. Where whoever replaces Karvek is going to work with us instead. And now, we are in the perfect position to do it. I have contacts in the other regional brigades,” she said, though it was a big stretch of the truth. “From the North Sea to the deserts of the south. I have met the King Commander, who is establishing control over them all. They are nothing like Karvek and his people.”
Iryana felt like she was buzzing, like she was intoxicated. “I have spent months with the 18th Brigade, and while there are issues that need to be fixed, a local group could be of help to us.”
Lady Dyavara seemed to ponder her words carefully. “In other posts around the settlement, we have good relations with the local brigades. The price of their protection can be worth it, but it is usually just one more threat to monitor. To manage.” Then the lady frowned. “And how would you take down Karvek and his followers? Your clan is not big enough, and we don’t have the forces to spare to aid you.”
“If properly incentivized, other brigades could help us.”
“Why would they do that?”
“Because they need us,” she said firmly, “To help them take down Karvek and his entire operation, too. To put a stop to the war that is coming for them.”
