“What has my girl looking like someone shit in her porridge?” Kaz asked, bumping my shoulder with his.
I let out a wistful sigh, not the chuckle he was looking for. “I’m debating leaving and starting a new life, preferably somewhere far, far away, where no one will ever find me.”
“As Alandris’s best friend, you’d leave me no choice but to stop you. Lustria isn’t exactly paradise, but I’d hate to see him set half the land on fire in his pursuit of you.”
“Seems dramatic, no?” That had me smiling, just a little.
“Only as dramatic as planning to exile yourself,” he returned.
“The idiot heart in my chest doesn’t seem fond of the thought of leaving him behind, either. My mind, though, understands that sometimes you need to leave love behind to protect it.” I opened my eyes to glance at Kaz. “Unfortunately, the two can’t seem to reconcile.”
“I wasn’t kidding when I said he’d set Lustria on fire for you. I’m glad it made you smile, but it’s also the truth.”
I huffed a mirthless laugh. “Oh, I’m aware of what he’d do for me. His lack of self-preservation is actually concerning. That’s part of the problem. I’m destroying everyone around me, and I feel powerless to stop it.”
Kaz dropped a hand on my shoulder, and when I met his eyes, all humor had left them. “We all have our reasons for helping you. We love you, if that isn’t obvious enough, but we also want to spare Lustria from a war that will destroy it. This has become so much larger than you, Nairu. There are others I want to protect, too. Others who have been harmed by the Divine Council’s machinations and will continue to be harmed until they are eradicated.”
“You’re a good person, Kaz.”
He snorted. “Say that again after I’ve finished what I needed to say.”
I nodded. “Go on, then.”
“We need you strong now, Nairu.” For a moment, Kaz was lost for words, but he eventually settled on what it was he wanted to say and continued. “You’re going to fuck up, more and probably worse than you did today, nearly maiming Quinn. But you can’t give up on yourself every time it happens. You will not beat Zaelos in strength of magic alone. It is a test of will. So, the next time you lose control, make it count. Gain something in return. Don’t let him see you weak.”
“That’s an interesting method of inspiring,” I replied, though in truth, it was exactly what I needed to hear—Kaz’s specialty. “Thank you, Kaz, truly. I haven’t changed my mind about you being a good person, even if you lost a bet to be the one that had to come out here and give me a pep talk.”
He flicked me in the side of the head hard enough my teeth chattered.
“OW! Fucking hells, have mercy!”
“Language, Nairu! Those pirates gave you quite the mouth.” He stood from his spot, offering me a hand up. “And I didn’t lose a bet. I volunteered. Now, come on. Everyone’s waiting.”
I’m not sure where I expected Kaz to drag me to, but it wasn’t to a seedy tavern in the town just outside the Consortium. Inearly choked on air when I stepped inside the aptly namedCrooked Pintand saw everyone huddled together at a table in the corner, wooden mugs of ale in various stages of drink in front of them. My entire crew sat on one side—Lorian, Kaelias, and Makatza, while Zorinna, and much to my surprise, Jyuri, sat across from them. My smile only fell when I realized Alandris was not amongst them.
Kaz answered my looming question before I had the opportunity to ask it. “He’s fine. Council business. We expect him back tomorrow. He didn’t have a lot of time to leave a note, so we didn’t want to worry you with vague details.”
I accepted the answer for what it was, moving to take a seat next to Zorinna. Someone passed an overly strong-smelling mug in front of me, and my mind instantly returned to the Minstrel’s Menagerie in Fernfallow. My first ever drink, if I recalled correctly. Definitely my first amongst friends. I gripped the mug in both hands and gulped down a mouthful. The taste was awful, but damn, was it good.
“Do we have an audience?” Jyuri asked, and I knew just what he was asking.Is Zaelos listening?
I shook my head. “No, I drowned him out for now. I don’t know how long it will last, though. The potion seems to have less and less effect, and I have little left.”
Jyuri and Zorinna exchanged a glance before he continued. “I was worried that may be the case. Let’s make this meeting brief, then.”
“What is this meeting exactly?”
Lorian answered this time. “We need to decide when we will leave for the Soulseer, and who is staying behind.”
I tilted my head. “Why would anyone be staying behind?”
The table went quiet.
“In case I fail….”
“It’s a contingency plan,” Zorinna finally said. “Should Zaelos overpower you, he will be near unstoppable. Those remaining at the Consortium will warn the necessary parties to prepare—for war.”
I chewed at my lip, turning to Jyuri. “I thought you’d be able to stop me? If it came to it. Perhaps not kill me, but subdue me, at least.”
