I tear my gaze away, mouth painfully dry, and catch Rycken staring at her, too, with an appreciative gleam in his eye. A lowgrowl builds in my chest, and Lyzza wisely turns his face away, chuckling softly to herself.
Mayah takes her seat beside me, and my body thrums at her proximity.
“Shall we begin?” Tairna asks. I can hear the skiesdamned smile in her voice. I manage a grunt, and Rycken kicks off the meeting with his usual updates about supplies at the camp.
When he’s finished, Tairna unfurls her map across the table, pointing to a smudged spot along the northern coast. “The Volcan army has made land.”
Mayah leans across the table, and her elbow jostles mine.
“Sorry,” she mutters.
I don’t trust myself to respond.
Tairna’s lips turn down into a scowl at my silence, and with a whisper of a sigh, she explains their planned movements. “Their forces will split into two and head here”—she traces a line cutting across the map to Arbinj—“and here”—another line to Tundrayn. “Our men from these camps will join them. Together, that’ll be enough to take over both palaces.” She glances around the table. “We execute the monarchs publicly. Then, we’ll need to move quickly to cement Mayah’s rule.”
Mayah braces against the table, spine rigid. “You can’t kill my father.”
Tairna's expression turns apologetic. “Mayah, we’ve discussed this … if we wantyouto lead, then—”
Mayah waves an impatient hand.
I know what she wants. She told me in the woods, the night before Tairna and the rebels found us.
“That’s not what I mean.Iwant to kill him.”
Still, I can’t help but turn toward her. The utter hatred coating her words is so visceral, it claws at something in my chest.
Tairna nods slowly. “All right. We’ll capture him alive. Rycken, send a missive to the other camps about the movements. Lyzza, work with Tumaas to ensure we are well-armed.”
The meeting adjourns, and the advisers file out, Mayah behind them.
“Wait, Vayru,” Tairna says before I can rise. “Mayah. You stay, too.” When Mayah trudges back to sit beside me, Tairna opens a locked drawer and retrieves a key. Her eyes glisten as she says, “Give me your hands, Vayru.”
She can’t possibly mean to—
A soft exhale. I reach my hands across the table, resting them on the scratched wood in front of her. Tairna gently unlocks one cuff with a softclick, then the other. The shackles fall to the table with a dullclankand—
My power rushes back into me with the force of a maelstrom. The well of my reserves blares bright and potent andfree. Awareness dances along my skin, and I take deep, shuddering breaths to ease the frantic beat of my heart. Mayah and Tairna’s energy signatures pulse, bright and sudden, as though a dark curtain had been ripped from a sunlit window.
“I thought,” I rasp. “I thought that—”
Tairna’s smile is watery. “She changed her mind. She told me this morning. As long as you can control your temper, Vayru, they’ll stay off.”
“Sura?” Mayah whispers, eyes wide.
Tairna nods. “She was the staunchest advocate for keeping Vayru suppressed. Which is understandable. I didn’t want her to feel unsafe. But she found me this morning and told me she was ready.”
My breath slips free in a soft rush—Sura? After her tirade this morning? I don’t understand why she’d let Tairna unshackle me.
A lone tear slips down Mayah’s cheek, and my fingers ache to brush it away.
I clench my hand into a fist instead.
“I’m glad for you,” Mayah says softly, nodding toward my reddened wrists. “I’m sure you’ve missed your powers.”
My heart beats in my throat. Her hands are glowing, and I don’t think she’s noticed.
“Thanks.” My voice is ragged.
