Ancel ached to walk away also, leaving the dead and dying, the stench of blood and burning pitch, the suffering, the lies … all of it behind if he could, but if things were as Ryne said-he had no reason to doubt the man-this was his responsibility. He held himself straighter, molding his spine into steel. “How do we kill them?”
Ryne smiled, a hint of pride in the way his lips curled. “Simple as that?”
“Death’s always simple.” Ancel recalled the saying from the Chronicle of Undeath. “Aren’t those your words?”
“Indeed.”
“How do you fight something that devours the power which drives the world?” Stefan arched an eyebrow.
Ryne touched his sword hilt. “With steel. Mater can’t touch the creatures as far as Forging goes, but simple metal, imbued or not, will do the task.”
“And how do we get close enough?” This from Guthrie.
“First, we must discover how many of the beasts Sakari commands,” Ryne answered. “Right now, the best course is to flee, but to do so we need a distraction. It’s the only way to buy time to get your people free of this place and for me to scout them out.”
“If he even allows us,” Irmina said.
“Why can’t we leave like the Tribunal’s Matii did?” Ancel asked.
“Only two people here are strong enough to be High Shin.” Ryne’s eyes shifted from Irmina to Galiana. “Two High Shin alone couldn’t hold portals long enough for everyone. And the Tribunal would know where we Materialized to anyway. To make things worse, we don’t have enough Dagodin to defeat the creatures, but if we had more Matii we could keep them occupied for most of you to escape. Vasumbrals are glutinous by nature. As long as there’s a chance of a Forging, they will remain.”
Irmina spoke up. “I may know how to get some more Matii … a lot more.”
All attention shifted to her. Galiana wore a pensive frown.
“I’m sorry,” Irmina mouthed to him. She inhaled and then blew out a slow breath, her shoulders drooping. “I was sent her by the Exalted.” That brought a hiss from Galiana. “As a Raijin, my task was to kill the council.” Her gaze hardened. “And to kill you, Ryne.”
Her intentions came as no great surprise to Ancel. The way she cried the night they made love had left him suspecting something of this nature. Ryne nodded as if he expected no less. Stefan tensed. Lips pursed, Guthrie shook his head slowly. Devan placed himself firmly between Irmina and Shin Galiana, looming over her as he did so, his fist clenched near his sword. The other council members put more distance between themselves and Irmina, edging closer to the Dagodin out of earshot near the wall.
“When I found out who you were … I couldn’t-” Chest heaving, Irmina turned away from them.
Ancel glanced from her to Ryne, narrowing his eyes. What was he missing? There seemed to be more between those two. For a moment, he pondered if they’d been involved, but dismissed the thought. What he witnessed in Irmina’s eyes was raw pain. Only one thing ever affected her like this: her parents’ death.
Ryne had nothing to do with that. Or did he?
Brushing at her face, Irmina composed herself and faced them once more. “Rest assured, I no longer intend to follow their orders against the council.” Her omission of Ryne was troubling. “However, if we need more Matii, the easiest solution is for me to signal the Tribunal that the deed is done. They’ll attack within minutes only to find the shadelings outside the walls.”
“What if they decide to ignore them and leave us to our fate?” Guthrie asked.
“They may be a lot of things, Guthrie,” Galiana leaned up off her staff, “but the Tribunal will fight the shade. The threat makes them weaker against the Sendethi and Barsonian rebellion and might be a precursor to their demise if left to fester.” She paused for a moment. “To everyone’s demise.” The last came out a whisper.
“Do we trust her?” Devan nodded to Irmina.
“Yes,” Galiana said convincingly, “I do.”
“Why?” Guthrie glanced from Galiana back to Irmina.
“She has been an agent for me and Jerem for years. As I said at the inn, she knows now we had nothing to do with her family’s deaths. Besides, Jerem would never allow her to come here if he thought she was a threat to our cause.”
Guthrie gave a slight bow of his head. “I’ll submit to your judgment then.”
Devan shrugged and went back to stand next to Stefan.
“So,” Ryne stretched to his full height, “prepare the people to leave and send the signal.”
Galiana stood erect now and looked around at them. “I am staying to greet the Tribunal’s Ashishin when they arrive. Who else?”
“I’ll have to stay to explain myself.” Irmina looked to him with sorrowful eyes.
He wanted to go to her, hug her. Deep inside, he couldn’t help the feeling that fate fought against him. Why did he keep losing the things that mattered the most? He was about to speak when he noticed his father’s expression. It gave him a sinking sensation down in his gut.
“All the council members will remain also,” Stefan declared, “including me.”
Ancel choked back a cry. “Da, you mustn’t do this.” He’d lost his mother, and now he was losing his father too? He clutched his mother’s pendant, his knees weak.
“There isn’t much choice, son. When the Tribunal’s army arrives and we’re gone, they will come after us.”
“But … but, defeating the shade will take some time,” Ancel said. “Maybe enough for us to be long gone.”
Stefan shook his head. “I know the Tribunal well. What we’ve done here, plus your actions at the winery won’t go unpunished. If they don’t find us, they’ll fight the shade, as well as send a contingent with Pathfinders and Ashishin after us.”
As much as he wanted to disagree, Ancel recognized the truth of his father’s words. “Let them stay then.” He nodded toward Javed, Rohan, and the others in desperation. “Come with us. We need you. I need you.”
“No.” Stefan walked over to him and placed a firm hand on his shoulder. “The Setian need you now, son. They are your people. My time’s come and gone. I won’t risk any more lives. I’ve seen enough death, enough of my loved ones reduced to nothing more than husks. I won’t let them suffer anymore, not when I can prevent it.”
“Da-”
“Son, listen to me. This has been coming for centuries. A time existed when I thought I would be the one to bring us together once more, but that’s your job now. You were named after your brother and sister, Anton and Celina, as a way for me never to forget the suffering I have been a part of. The Tribunal’s actions and Nerian took them away from us. In ways, I played my part as did your mother, and I’ve had to live with that knowledge.” His father’s face was grim, and then he cracked a smile. “I promise to tell you about them one day.
“Your mother and I raised you for this. Ever since those painful days, we prayed, and the gods gave us you. You just needed what we couldn’t provide. To be nurtured. To be trained. Now, you have your true mentor.” His father glanced over to Ryne. “Use everything me and Galiana taught you, and apply it to what you learn.
“The Disciplines. Remember them. Obey them. They’ll be your guide. Let today be the prime example. I see fear in you, uncertainty. Demand bravery by conquering your fear. Demand perseverance, but first show determination. You see, son. Even now, I live by two of them. Make all of them a part of your life.”
“Da, I can’t, I can’t …”
“Yes, you can. You’re a Dorn. Like all us Dorns, you’re strong. The strongest of us all. You’ll get past this. Demand they overcome after you prevail. Demand discipline by first showing mastery of self.”
Hearing his father’s voice so calm, so steadfast, lent Ancel strength. He wiped away the tears he hadn’t realized he shed. “Lead by example,” he whispered.