“Of course we are!”the shifter said.
“Don’t you have obligations here?”Talon asked her.
Kaz waved him away.“Nah, I’m a goddess now, remember?I’m going to abdicate to Zahar and do my own thing.”
Zane could not understand the shifter.She was so unserious about her position within the kingdom.Honestly, he was a little jealous she had someone she could unload the responsibilities on.Especially since her brother actually wanted to rule Nyr.Not for the first time, Zane wished he had a sibling to take some of the pressure off of himself.
Iyana’s good mood had melted off of her as they talked.She glanced at Emmeric.“We’re going.I’m not going to lie and say I’m excited to do this, and I honestly wish none of this had ever happened, but if Yrza is right and I’m the only one who can banish the stars…” She sighed.“I’ll help.”
Emmeric reached across the space between them to squeeze her knee.Iyana smiled sadly at him.
“When do we leave?”Emmeric asked, and they all looked to Zane for an answer.He wondered when he was elected as leader for their group.But this was what he’d been raised to do—he could lead them if that was what they needed.
“We’ll need a couple more days to prepare.Let’s plan for two days from now.”
Everyone voiced their agreement.Zane picked up a pastry and took a bite.The worst part about being on the road was the lack of good food, so he’d enjoy it while he could.
“We should go around Athusia,” Emmeric said, between bites of his own pastry.“That way, we can hopefully avoid the majority of the stars.”
“Oh,” Tal said.“I was going to ask if we could stop by really quickly on our way.”
Iyana’s eyes widened.“Why would we do that?”
Talon rubbed the back of his neck.“My parents are still there, Smalls,” he said softly.“I can’t leave them.”
“Gods, Talon, I didn’t even think—I’m so sorry.Yes, of course we can go to Athusia.”
Kaz pursed her lips.“That doesn’t really seem like the smart thing to do.”
“What if it were your parents?”Talon asked her, frowning.
The shifter shrugged.“My parents can take care of themselves.”
“Well, mine can’t,” he snapped.“They’re just regular people.My dad doesn’t even know how to swing a sword, for fuck’s sake!”
Zane could see both sides of the argument.It was a risk when the stars knew who they were and would probably be searching for Iyana.They didn’t know much about what was happening in Athusia—if the humans were safe, where the stars were stationed.There were so many unknowns.But if it was his mother…
“We should help Tal’s parents,” Zane said, and he could see the immediate relief on Talon’s face.He mouthed the wordsthank you.Zane smiled.“We’ll have to be extra cautious, though.We survey the situation, and if it’s too risky, Tal, then we need to think of the bigger picture.”
“I understand,” he responded solemnly.
“The Lurra should stay here in Nyr, too.It will be safer behind the wards than if we took it with us.”
Kaz coughed and glanced away from them all.Zane’s stomach dropped.What had she done now?
“Kaz,” Iyana said, “you didn’t.”
The shifter shrugged.“None of you agreed with me about Khollo’s Downfall, so I decided to bring it with us.I promise it’ll be useful!”
All of Team Save Arinem—the sane members, at least—heaved a tired sigh.Zane pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Well, I guess that’s also staying.”
Throughout the rest of breakfast, they solidified their plans for getting to Athusia, evading the stars, evacuating Talon’s parents, and then making their way to Istoria.Zane didn’t want to dally for too long.The longer they let Rigil run unchecked, the harder it would be to unseat him.
Iyana
Twodayslater,TeamSave Arinem walked through Nyr’s palace for the last time to bid farewell to the king and queen.
