Page 140 of Aryn

For a long moment we just lie there, staring at the ceiling.

“So,” I finally say, turning my head toward him. “How do you think that went?”

Cato lets out a long breath and rolls onto his side to face me. “I don’t know. She went from ready to throw us out to nearly breaking down. Ronan’s mom…”

“Right? Who would’ve seen that coming?

He scoffs. “Sovran.”

“You think he knew and didn’t tell us?” I ask, recalling the way Sovran insisted Ronan come on this mission. He stressed it was vital, but he seemed as frustrated as us when he couldn’t say why. “No, I don’t think he knew. I like to believe he would’ve told us if he did.”

“You act like he’s ever been straightforward with his visions,” he counters. “Getting a straight answer out of the guy is damn near impossible.”

I dip my chin in a conceding nod. “True. But in this case, I think he realized Ronan and I were both important to the mission, but didn’t know why. And now, we know.”

Cato pauses as he considers it. “We needed Brihn’s contacts to get an audience with Ailynor, and we needed Ronan here to make her listen.”

“Precisely.”

“Did you see the way she looked when he mentioned the toy?”

I nod, reaching out to trace a finger along his arm. “She’s spent a century believing her son was dead. Learning otherwise was a big enough shock on its own, but then to find out he was one of the soldiers she dedicated her life to fighting? That would break anyone.”

“Do you think she believes us?”

“About?”

Cato chokes on a laugh. “All of it… any of it. I mean, we’ve been through hell to get here, and we’re asking her to fight a war that doesn’t feel very winnable.”

“Yeah,” I agree with a sigh. “She was already mentally drained, but after that she just looked…”

“Exhausted,” he finishes for me.

“Exactly. She’s someone who’s always carried the weight of the world on her shoulders. We just added to it.”

“Yeah,” he agrees through a yawn. “But at least she understands the stakes now.”

“She does. It’s not just about her son or saving the human world. This place is dying too. She’s known something was happening for decades, and now she knows why.”

Cato shifts closer, resting his head on my shoulder. “She had a lot of questions about Sovran. Like, she was dead set on figuring out how his sight works. None of us have any fucking idea how he gets those cryptic messages.”

“I think she’s trying to figure out if she can trust the prophecy or if we’re just desperate. You had those same doubts,” I remind him. “Has that changed?”

He hesitates, blowing out a long exhale. “It’s… shifted.”

“Because it’s personal for you now, too.”

“Yeah,” he agrees softly.

“Are you turning optimistic on me, kitten?”

“Shut up,” he mutters, leaning up to press a kiss on my chin. “Optimistic. I’ll take that as an insult.”

I run my fingers through his hair, fighting my grin. “She’s a warrior first, and she thinks as warriors think. She’ll want proof, strategy, and allies before she commits her armies. But I saw it in her eyes. She believes us. She has to. This isn’t just politics anymore.”

“Yeah,” Cato agrees. “She looked almost disappointed that Zadeus was already dead.”

“She wanted to be the one to drive the blade through his chest. You can understand that, rha khor.”