It was the female warrior who escorted me back to the throne room, the one who looked at me with unbridled hatred on her expressive face. It was almost painful to look at. What would that be like, to have your every little thought and emotion displayed on your face for the world to see? And if this was how the warrior appeared, then how much worse would it be for the First Daughter?
I followed the warrior, never letting my guard down. The moment I saw the First Daughter, though, I knew what decision they’d come to. Relief made my chest lighten considerably. I would avoid a difficult extraction, then, and this whole process would go easier. It would still be a challenge for her, but at least she wouldn’t have to watch me kill people she loved to remove her by force.
Surprisingly, her face didn’t have the absolute devastation I expected. Her jaw was set with determination and, yes, an undercurrent of fear. She was trying to mask it, but judging from everything I’d seen so far, she had no idea how to be anything other than completely transparent.
Her gaze met mine, and for a moment, my own expression almost slipped, but I regained control. She looked at me like I wasthe cause of all her pain, and I supposed that was partly true. I thought of what would happen to her next, leaving everything she’d ever known and flying to the palace…marrying my cousin. Inevitably facing the creature that hid in the shadows. I was a soldier, not a diplomat, and I had never wanted to leave a place so badly as I did right then.
16
Zara
Commander Talon had returned, his movements precise, his expression the same as it had been, even though my whole world was crashing down around me. Even though I wanted to leap astride Shazeera and run and run and run until I was far away from here and all these terrible responsibilities. I found myself wishing he were smirking at me, or grinning evilly, or rubbing his hands together in triumph over my fate, if only so I had someone to direct this black mass of grief and misery onto that was building inside me. If anything, though, when his gaze flicked to mine for a moment, the emotion hiding in the depths of his eyes looked more like sympathy. But that only made me feel worse. If an emotionless monster could feel sorry for me, well, my situation must be pretty dismal.
He stood before Ama. “What have you decided?”
Ama turned to me. “Zara?”
I tried to pull myself from the deep swell of self-pity, but it was like an unforgiving sea that kept dragging me under again. “We will sign your treaty,” I said tightly, “but we have one condition.”
His expression didn’t change. “And that is?”
“You should know that First Daughter Zara is not the only one with the power to control the wind,” Ama said, so smoothly I almost believed her. “We have prayed to the Earth Mother for the means to end this war once and for all, and she has gifted us with this newly manifested power. We were in the process of gathering all the wind magic users before you arrived with the offer of a treaty.”
“There are others with wind magic as strong as the First Daughter’s?” Commander Talon asked, his tone both skeptical and concerned.
“Yes,” Ama said without blinking.
He was silent for several moments before finally saying, “And you will unleash this wind magic against us if we do not adhere to your condition for the treaty?”
He may have been carved from stone, but he wasn’t stupid.
“Yes, if you cannot guarantee First Daughter Zara’s health and safety, then we will bring the full force of the wind and raze your palace and cities to the ground.”
His gaze shifted to mine, and I startled when he addressed me. “I can guarantee your health and safety, First Daughter,” he said.
There was no way I would just take his word for it. I wanted to see it in black and white. “If you add that to the treaty,” I said, “then I am willing to go with you.”
He nodded once and then accepted the quill and ink General Isa handed him. In bold strokes, we watched him add the condition to the document.
He handed it to me to inspect. “Satisfied?”
He had done everything we asked, but the weight of everything still settled on my chest, making it difficult to draw a breath. “Yes,” I managed to say.
“Emperor Altair will be pleased,” he said. “I will serve as witness for our people, and it would seem you already have plenty of witnesses of your own.”
“We will sign today, but we ask for two days to prepare,” Ama said.
Commander Talon shook his head. “I can give you only one, and it’s for your own benefit. This treaty, once signed, must be hand delivered by me for the emperor to declare an end to the war. Any delays will cost more lives.”
I couldn’t argue with such reasoning, because of course I didn’t want anyone else to be killed, but the thought of leaving here tomorrow made my hands shake with the need to scream.
“Very well,” Ama said.
General Isa and Queen Jazela moved closer to Ama without her having to ask, and then the hated scroll was unrolled and waiting for Ama’s signature. She dipped the quill in the ink, and in a matter of moments, my life had been signed away.
“We will have a feast tonight in honor of my daughter,” Ama said. “In the interest of this peace treaty, your Eagle Riders will be allowed to attend.”
“Though don’t expect the most welcoming reception,” General Isa added, as though she just couldn’t help herself.
