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“I thought we agreed you weren’t going to go?”
“Because it would be a waste of time, given Thelbiz wouldn’t listen to me before, and I had no way to find him,” she argued. “But he’s calling to me. I can feel the pull, and I know I can follow it.”
The First was quiet, shuffling the papers on her desk. Iryana tried to be patient, but she could only hold out so long.
“Grandmother!” Iryana snapped.
The First narrowed her eyes. “It’s freezing. This isn’t the weather to go traipsing through the woods in.”
“I have my fire-imbued gear, and my sisters can lend me some of theirs as well. I’ll be okay in the cold.”
“And the danger of the dakii? If they’re drawn to metal magic, you are metal-forged. You put yourself at risk of having to use your forgings. It’s far too dangerous.”
“The conclave and the duchess are expecting me to—”
“We don’t answer to the duchess—the clans are separate. And you’re supposed to handle the communications between the clans and the brigades.”
Iryana crossed her arms. “Everything is settled right now. We have trades in motion for the supplies we need. We’ve made the plans, we’re building ballistae, we’re fortifying the wall.” She swallowed. “And Uncle Dinhal has worked with me on all of it. If something comes up, he knows what the plan is. He can cover this while I’m gone.”
“It’s a risk…”
“Thelbiz must want something from me. Perhaps he has a way we can help, like the conclave suggested. Maybe there’s something we can do or something he can tell us,” she pleaded. “That’s worth the risk!”
“We’re facing a threat beyond anything we have ever seen,” the First yelled. “You’re supposed to be the future of this clan!”
“But I’m dying!” Iryana screamed back.
They both froze, staring at each other and breathing hard.
The First threw herself back into her chair, groaning as her body jostled. She avoided looking at Iryana.
“Do you regret choosing me now?” Iryana asked softly.
“No. I refuse to give up hope. The moment I lose that, this all becomes unbearable,” the First admitted, voice soft. She sighed, deep and weary. “You should take someone with you. Dinhal, or Tonhald.”
Iryana quirked a slight smile in triumph.
“They’re needed here. And who knows if Thelbiz will want to see anyone else.” She didn’t really believe she’d found Thelbiz because he’d allowed it, but she wouldn’t stand for letting the post lose that many warriors at once.
“Fine.”
“Thank you.”
When she made her way through the Yuresh Valley, Iryana finally got a good look at the large creatures her clan had seen. Two of them sat near the mouth of the valley, a few dozen paces from the river.
Crouching between a crop of trees, Iryana watched them.
They were large, bigger than the dakii. Large hardened plates started over their snouts and eyes like masks, and then down their backs and stomachs. Their coloring blended in with the sea of pine needles around them.
Their shape and what she could see of their faces reminded her of bears.
She squinted at the bear’s armor, pretty confident it was a mossy green color. Did that mean they belonged to Limhiz? The god of earth? The dakii weren’t the color of air-forged magic, but they were the color of the sky. Clearly the color of these creatures didn’t have to match the magic… but why else would they be green?
Thelbiz had said that Limhiz would definitely be on his side, not that it meant his creatures would be safe. But Mhakiza’s fox-serpents were, and these armored bears seemed calmer. None of the wild, raw energy of Thelbiz’s beasts.
Iryana slowly, tentatively, stepped out from behind the tree.
One bear’s head tilted as if sniffing the air.
