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Iryana revealed the mark and told the First everything she knew, her grandmother growing paler while Iryana spoke. When she finished, they both sat in silence, letting it sink in.

“I thought we’d made it through the worst.” Vesima stared out the small window, the shutters currently wide to let in the glow of the moon. She seemed to age before Iryana’s eyes. “I thought we’d made our sacrifices already.”

“It’s not over yet.” Iryana shifted on the chair, clutching her braid to give her hands something to do.

The First slammed her hand on the table, making Iryana jump.

“Thelbiz put us through this for fifteen years!” The First shouted, her face turning red. “Only for their war to wipe us all out now? We’ve already sacrificed for this! We’ve already bled. So many have died…” She stood, stumbling for a moment and catching herself on the desk.

Iryana steadied her, breathing heavily herself.

She could only imagine what was going through her grandmother’s head. All the people they’d lost trying to make it as far as they had. All the people the First had needed to sacrifice. All the sins she’d committed for the sake of avoiding complete destruction.

For a moment—a flash of a moment—Iryana thought she saw doubt on her grandmother’s face. As if the First didn’t know if she had more in her.

She had been waiting for the First to comfort her. To have a plan. Yet in the wake of her grandmother’s pain, she found words tumbling out of her mouth.

“He said he was fighting to ensure some Istrins survive. We need to make sure we’re among them. That we keep as many safe as we can. We’ll do what we can.” Iryana reached forward to grab her grandmother’s weathered hand. “That’s all we can ever do, right?”

Vesima nodded.

“What else?” she finally asked, voice raw.

Iryana had a lot of time to think on her journey back from the temple, so she shared every thought that had crossed her mind. Hoping the First would know what to do with them.

“I assume Thelbiz woke just before the dakii started to appear—about fifteen years ago. It took him that long to prepare. But he’s clearly altering his strategy as the others are waking. I think he expects things to change once they do. The other creatures are already having an effect. That makes me think the others won’t need decades to prepare. Or that they won’t have the option. If I had to guess, we don’t have much time.”

“Weeks, months, years?” Vesima shook her head. “We need more information. We need to know the scale of this, if they will battle in their giant forms. If Thelbiz can be trusted, if he values our lives enough to try to keep it away from the settlements. We need to know if the other gods are as willing to sacrifice us.”

“We’ve seen the dakii more organized, gathering in larger packs and less frenzied to kill us.” Iryana swallowed. “This must be Thelbiz’s influence, and I think it’s… good? But if they’re drawn to metal-forged magic, the brigades and the clans are going to attract them. We’ll still be in danger.

“I think the alliance can come into play here. Pyetar is going to inform the other brigade leaders, and we’ll have to tell the other clans too. Between us all, perhaps we can find some patterns in the changes, try to tell where things are concentrating. How quickly they’re moving.”

“We can tell the other Firsts. We can’t decide for the duchess’s people,” the First said numbly, dropping back into her chair with a groan. “But our clan… we’ll have to tell them something. All of it? Some of it?”

Iryana had never seen her grandmother so unsure, so lost.

“I’m going to tell my sisters tonight.” Her grandmother didn’t need to know she’d already told them. “They won’t share until we’re ready. But for everyone else… what if we wait until after the festival? Let them all have this last celebration without worrying.”

It was still a week until the festival, the end of the Frozen Moon and the last month of the year.

“Very well, that will give us time to prepare, too. To reach out to the duchess and other Firsts.” Having a plan seemed to settle her grandmother. “I want you in charge of the messages and reports for this.”

“Me?” This was too important for her to play at being heir.

“I’m old, Iryana,” the First reminded her, exhaustion leeching the strength from her voice. “We don’t know how long this will stretch out, and our clan needs to be an important voice in this. You’re right that this alliance is going to be critical, and you’re the one who started it. You’re the one who saw how important it would be, not me. And you’re the one who bears the proof.” She looked at where the mark was still partially exposed on Iryana’s skin.

It held so little of Thelbiz’s magic, nothing like the stories of champion marks from centuries prior, but it was still unsettling.

Iryana tried not to shrink in her seat. The First was pushing the responsibility of how the entire alliance would handle this impending war onto her shoulders. She didn’t feel capable of leading her own clan, let alone thousands of other people.

Don’t let fear win, she begged herself. But this was so much more than fear. So much more than her own insecurities.

The First grabbed her hand. “Just think of the next step. What do we do first? Then do it. And then ask yourself what we do after that. And do that, too. We can talk through every move.”

When it came down to it, she didn’t have a choice. Just like Pyetar didn’t have a choice but to stand by the 18th.

“I will prepare the first notices.”