“I am aware of their predispositions,” she replied. “The Companions will oppose me in every way they can. I have prepared a defense for that as well.”
At last, he rose and descended toward her, feet never quite touching the ground. Only the jingle of his ankle bracelets marked his movement. As he approached, Auryn tensed. She could never predict a single thing he would do. At times, he smiled and touched her cheek like a loving patriarch. At other times, the look of disappointment on his face could crush her very will to breathe.
What else could I expect from a man that is more god than mortal? He has seen more than any of us could imagine, and we cannot discount his wisdom in our war against the city’s rot. He may have his own reasons for the things he does, but his help—his generosity to me at the very least—hasn’t wavered.
Shu’Khan stopped just short of the table before her. Auryn stood her ground beneath the weight of his molten glare. Without pause, she withdrew a second document and set it beside the first.
“Please examine this, Father.The Mandate of the Unbroken Shields.I will present it at Council with the Resh’Agar at my side. It accounts for the Companions’ roles and makes provisions for their survival as the Estár and the Breeding of mana-rich vessels are phased out of Doctrine.”
He traced the edgeof the vellum with one long fingernail, his sharp blue eyes reading the text with inhuman speed. It had taken Auryn months of drafts and edits to create this document. Yet he read it in moments, and when he looked at her again, judgment awaited in his gaze.
“A century,” he said. “That is your proposal?”
Auryn nodded. “Immediate cessation of the ritual. One lifetime, for the current Companions to live out their days in comfort.”
Something tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Reduction of their stipends? That will please them.”
“Strategic reallocation of resources needed to rebuild the city, investigate the Blightsphere, and stabilize relations with the Gliders.”
Shu’Khan sneered. “Krystopolis has no need for feathered trophies and bumbling shamans.”
You anticipated he would make this argument. This is a sentiment shared across Crystal City. Amusing, how Krystopolis looks down on those that pose the greatest threat to their Doctrine.
Auryn took a breath. Steadied her voice.
“You believe their society to be less advanced than the Polis. Yet dissenters from their ranks have infiltrated the Cataclyss and aided the Solutus in forging weapons that would tear this city apart.”
His eyes narrowed. “You have shown Us evidence before. Have you made progress?”
Auryn’s heart raced. His interest was piqued. Now she just needed tohold it.
“Enough,” she said. “And not enough. We fight on divided fronts.”
His eyes flashed to the bow on her back, held in place with sturdy yet decorative straps designed to look like a seamless part of her ornate gown.
“Our Sokâr has stepped onto the battlefield with no thought to her own safety,” he said. “Rumor has it that the Gliders have come for you. First, they attack you in the open. Now, they scheme in their caves. And you would still work on diplomacy with them?”
Auryn shook her head. “It is too late for diplomacy for those that have already come to the city. They have come for glory and bounty, but they do not side with the Nestings. If we are to prevent further degradation of our relations with the Gliders, we must continue to work on our trade and alliance with the Matriarch and her bloodline.”
He set the document down, fingers steepling as his gaze fixed on hers. “You have changed,ilphara.” His voice lowered, gentling, dropping to an intimate murmur that would only echo between the two of them. A single finger traced down her cheek, and it took all of Auryn’s restraint not to move, not to react in any way at the touch.
“We still fondly remember the girl who hid in the Umbral Archives and walked barefoot through the Lattices.”
“I was not silent because I was timid,” she said.
“Never that. We understand. You were waiting for the right season to bloom, and bloom you have. With Our generous support. At your Resh’Agar’s side. You are a force to be reckoned with.”
The flush rising to Auryn’s cheeks betrayed her every conviction. Was it his eyes? Was the blue of them so similar to Kailorien’s that his praise triggered this response in her? Or was it something else entirely? Was this a sign that Shu’Khan had wormed farther into her regard than she’d planned to allow?
“We have risked much to aid you in your goals,” Shu’Khan said.
“I amgrateful, Father.” Auryn tilted her head in respect. “Please, review the document. The Council will either reject it outright or they will defer the decision to the Sovereign Flame.”
“Interesting,” the corner of his mouth twitched. “And can you not rely on the Resh’Agar’s will to carry this through?”
“Relying on him too severely risks the Council viewing the decree as a self-serving endeavor.”
Shu’Khan took a step back, the air warming once his aura and his heavy Sahtra scent no longer wrapped around her like coils of a serpent. He stroked his chin.
