“Leaving us vulnerable to attack,” I said. It was well within their rights to fight back in defense of their own lands. “What about an air raid?”
“We can’t bomb them,” Aretha said, “nor can we harm their other inhabitants. Technically, we can’t even invade, though I’d argue this is an extenuating circumstance.”
“A siege then,” I said. “We can intercept all incoming ships and prevent any from leaving. Eventually, the cyclopes will surrender Azrael. Or starve.”
“I wouldn’t underestimate their resourcefulness,” Aretha said. “They’ve been surviving on those islands for millennia. I doubt they even rely on the assistance of outsiders.”
This was truly a dilemma. And the cyclopes were an ancient race, not bound to any authority other than their own, which meant none of the thirteen tribes held sway over them. And they were famously averse to negotiation. How to extract a fugitive from lands where you couldn’t attack directly nor weaken through isolation?
“We could send an amphibious team of seaborn to swim to shore.” You pointed at the nearest launching point from the mainland. “Another team could drop in from the air, serving as a distraction while the seaborn steal in and find Azrael.”
“It might be prudent to do this quietly and without giving them warning,” Lucian said.
“We could send in a single assassin,” I suggested, “and bring back his head.”
I studied Lucian to see what his reaction might be, since you’d executed the same attack on our mother. “However slight, there is still the risk of the soul escaping,” Lucian said, still staring pensively at the map.
We debated a few more options until at last, Hyas said. “Why don’t we table it for now? Come back tomorrow morning when we’re fresh?”
I eyed the warborn with suspicion. “I’ve been in this tent with you until the early hours of dawn planning assaults on Imperium strongholds. Why are you giving up so easily now?”
“I’m not giving up,” Hyas said evenly. “But we’re going in circles, and sometimes it’s better to come back after a good night’s rest.”
“Every hour we delay allows Azrael to get stronger,” I argued. “At the very least, we need to send spies to monitor the islands and ensure Azrael’s host is among them. Make certain he doesn’t escape.”
“I’ll send a reconnaissance team immediately,” Aretha said.
“You will also find out who freed the cyclops in the first place,” I reminded her. I didn’t believe in coincidence.
“Of course.”
“I’m exhausted,” you said with a yawn. “I think Hyas might be right. Maybe we should sleep on it.”
I looked to Lucian who only shrugged, also out of ideas.
“Let’s go then.” I rested my hand on the base of your spine to lead you from the tent. Your nerves were frayed, and so were mine. Hyas eyed me over your head.
“Would you like a few extra guards with you tonight? It might ease your mind to know the sunborn prince is protected.”
“That’s my job,” I said gruffly. “And the beastborn do just fine.”
Hyas smiled, a little too smugly. “Take care of him then. He is the last of his kind.”
I halted my retreat and turned to face him. “Is that a threat?”
He chuckled heartily. “Relax, bloodborn. You’re among friends.”
I doubted that very much, and Hyas’s assurances only made me suspect him more.
“Come on, Henri.” You grabbed my upper arm and tugged me along. “We’re all stressed and tired. Let’s not take it out on each other.”
But I couldn’t let it go—not Hyas’s words, nor his covetous glances, and certainly not this unsettled feeling, which I recognized from my days in battle as the prelude to some calamity.
“I don’t like the way Hyas looks at you,” I said when we were back in our rooms.
“Henri, are you jealous?” you asked, flattered by the prospect.
“It’s not jealousy that worries me. If you preferred him, you wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to rebuke him in favor of me. I believe he’s plotting against us.”
