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But her grandmother wasn’t who she was most worried about upsetting, and the rest of the clan was bound to know by now. She couldn’t lead if they didn’t trust her decision-making. She wouldn’t be able to handle them being that upset with her.

“How do I fix it?” Iryana begged.

Vesima considered her. “You address it the moment we walk into the hall. Tell them it meant nothing, you were carried away in the moment. That it’s over. And then we will tell them everything else, and hopefully, they will forget the betrayal in their hearts.”

Iryana nodded, numb.

“Let’s go. There is no cowering for people like us, granddaughter. We fix our mistakes and we charge forward.”

Iryana stood and followed the First.

By the time she had composed herself and stepped into the hall, the rest of the clan was already there. The room was cramped, the bedding of everyone sleeping there for warmth piled against the walls. With her grandmother at her side, Iryana steeled her spine and walked through the crowd toward the far end of the hall. There she stood and faced them.

“What’s going on?” Kladara demanded. “Are you courting the general?”

“We’d like answers, Third,” Aunt Emadya added, arms crossed over her chest.

A chorus of whispers and agreements rose. There was an unsettled kind of fear among them, like this had shaken their confidence in her and the clan’s future. She was enraged by their small-mindedness while at the same time despairing the pain she’d caused them.

“Is this why the 18th is cooperating?” Darsha called from the far side of the room.

Iryana took a moment to school her anxiety, push it far enough down that it wouldn’t hinder what she had to do. She carefully looked over her clan members, her family. Uncle Dinhal watched her with a gentle expression of concern. If he had been the only one to have seen the kiss, she was sure he would have kept his mouth shut. Edvar and Levek seemed furious, but Tonhald and Teshya wouldn’t even look at her. Hadima was quiet, worry in her eyes when Iryana met them. Misha was arguing with those around her, telling them to mind their own damn business.

Iryana raised a hand to quiet the room.

“I’m not courting General Pyetar Horvol,” she announced, voice hard. “Yes, we kissed. No, that isn’t why we’ve both been pushing for this alliance. Yes, I like the general.”

She couldn’t make herself say it had meant nothing, that she felt nothing for him. So instead she told them, “Anything that may be between us is inconsequential. My duty and my clan are here, and his duty is with the brigade. What you saw was a goodbye.”

“Why did you keep this from us?” Kladara called out, words laced with hurt.

Iryana opened her mouth, but she didn’t know what to say. Most of them hated Pyetar, but she didn’t think it would help to call them out on it.

Thankfully, Hadima spoke up. “We all deserve some privacy, especially with matters of the heart.”

“Tono didn’t tell us about Teshya until they were practically engaged,” Misha added.

Iryana gave her sisters a grateful look.

“If you want a husband, we have better options,” Aunt Emadya said with excitement, as if the idea of matchmaking would bring her joy. “There are plenty of handsome young men in the village, and I’m sure if we—”

“I’m not looking for a husband,” she interrupted. Her face was bright red. “But I would never bring someone into the clan, through marriage or otherwise, who would hurt you. Your support and our ability to trust each other and work as a team are important. I won’t put that at risk.” It was the truth.

Aunt Emadya deflated slightly.

“You don’t need to worry about anything between me and the general,” Iryana said firmly, then let some of her fears and worries leak into her voice. “And we have far greater things to worry about.”

That killed the whispering.

She looked to the First who nodded.

“As you all know, I was answering a call from Thelbiz,” Iryana started, to pull them over to what really mattered. “Limhiz and Mhakiza are with him now too, and they wanted to warn us—the gods’ war has begun again, and the highlands will be their battlefield. We’re on the edge of the valleys. It’s hard to know exactly how close it will get.”

A flurry of questions was tossed at her, too many for Iryana to even pick apart. She held up her hand to hold them off.

“Over the next two months, Thelbiz and some of the other gods will try to stop Noshtiz,” she continued. “These creatures we’re seeing are their proxy armies, and Thelbiz warns that humans in their way will become collateral. We must tighten our defenses and prepare to ride this out. Inform those in the highlands to evacuate or seek better shelter. Things are going to get much worse, and it’s going to happen fast.”

She let that settle in.