“Your Majesty, there is no guarantee that Lord Ido will agree to help us, even if we do manage to get him out of the palace,” Ryko said.
“That is true. There are no guarantees. There is, however, the certainty that without Lord Ido, Lady Eona will not be able to use her power. She must be trained, and he is the only Dragoneye left to do it.”
There was also another certainty, known only to me. Ido would jump at the chance to mold my power. He thought I was the key to the String of Pearls and the throne. For a moment I considered offering the insight, but the idea of Ido with access to my power would not reassure anyone.
And there was always the chance that I had truly changed him.
Yuso bowed deeply, the others quickly following his lead. “Your wisdom is heaven-sent, Your Majesty,” he said. Around the semicircle, murmurs of agreement sounded.
“I also have an excellent advisor,” Kygo said. “Lady Eona has agreed to be my Naiso.”
“What?” Ryko reared out of his bow.
Yuso was not far behind, astonishment shifting into disbelief. The others were just a blur as I lowered my head, bracing against their shock.
“Your Majesty, no!” Ryko’s anger propelled him forward on his knees. “You don’t know her.” The venom in his voice struck at me. I clenched my fists.
“A girl, Your Majesty? How can a girl advise you?” Yuso demanded. “It is against nature.”
“She is not just a girl,” Dela said, “she is the Ascendant Dragoneye.”
“She has no training,” Yuso countered. “No military background. She knows nothing.”
“It is not the first time a woman has been Naiso,” Dela said.
I looked up; did I hear that right? Another woman?
“Lady Eona is the emperor’s choice.” Vida’s voice was highpitched with her audacity.
“Vida, know your place,” Solly snapped.
“Enough!” The emperor’s command dropped the troop back into crouched bows. “Lady Eona is my Naiso. That is the end of it.”
Slowly, Ryko lifted his head. “Your Majesty, please allow me to speak. As a member of your trusted guard, and as your loyal subject.”
Kygo hissed out a breath. “You are straining those bonds, Ryko.”
“Please, Your Majesty. It is for your own safety.” Ryko glanced at me, the hostility in his eyes like a blow to the chest.
Kygo nodded. “What is it?”
“Lady Eona cannot be trusted to bring you the truth.”
“Ryko,” Dela whispered beside him. “No.”
Solly and Tiron raised their heads, tense and watchful. Vida stayed tightly tucked into her bow.
“Are you accusing Lady Eona of being a liar?” the emperor asked.
“Yes.”
Kygo nodded. “It is a fair accusation.”
I wove my fingers together, shunting all of my anguish into the painful pressure. Kygo did not trust me, after all. He must have realized I had lied to him last night.
“And one that Lady Eona has admitted herself,” he added. “That is all in the past.”
My tension eased. Kygo glanced back at me with a reassuring smile.
“But it is not just straight lies, Your Majesty.”
Ryko straightened from his bow. I glared at the islander. He had been told it didn’t matter. Yet he still pushed.
“It is more insidious than that,” he said. “It is half-truths and omissions—”
I took a step forward. This was not duty; this was plain malice.
“Ryko,” I said. “Stop it.”
His face did not even register my words. “—and even if she does give some truth, you cannot—”
My rage rose like a savage creature howling its freedom. It reached across to Ryko, clawing at his life force. I felt his heartbeat meld into mine, the quick rhythm of his rancor overwhelmed by my pounding fury. I had control of his Hua. I had control of him. The rush of energy drove me another step past the emperor.
Ryko’s eyes found mine. “No! You swore—”
It was happening again. Just like the battlefield. Ryko tried to haul himself upright — I felt the strain in his energy — but his limbs were frozen into hunched obedience. Sweat dripped down his face as he struggled against the weight of power. Against me. Why did he struggle? It was his place to obey. With just a thought, I forced him lower and lower, until his face was pressed into the dirt.
His eyes were still locked on mine, a silent scream in them. I could make him do whatever I wanted.
A clear thought forced its way through the blinding power: I was doing what Ido had once done to me. Cold shame doused my anger. What was I thinking? Ryko was my friend. I sucked in a desperate breath and focused inward, groping for the link. Whatever it was, I had to find it. Break it. I had given him my word.
It was deep within me — a single golden thread of his Hua woven into the intricate tapestry of my own life patterns. A conduit for his life force that I could tap at any time through my anger or fear. But once I had grabbed it, how was I supposed to stop it? His bright pounding energy pulsed through me, caught in the rush of my own thundering Hua. It was like trying to hold back a torrent of water with my hands.
“Ryko, I can’t stop it!”
A figure rose from the ground. Straight for me. The impact knocked me sideways before the pain exploded through my jaw. I staggered and fell heavily to my bruised knees. The agony in my face and legs doubled me over as the link with Ryko snapped. I gasped into the sudden release. Through a blur of tears, I saw Dela standing over me, her hand still raised.
“Dela! No!” Yuso dragged her back a few steps. Nearby, Ryko was crumpled on the ground, gulping for air.
Kygo squatted beside me. “Lady Eona, are you all right?” His hand was on my back, the gentle weight steadying me.
My nod sent pain into my head. Cradling my jaw, I tentatively moved it from side to side. A man’s strength had been behind Dela’s blow.
“Lady Eona, forgive me.” Dela shook off Yuso’s hold and crouched before me.
I spat, tasting the copper warmth of blood. My tongue found the soft ragged sting of bitten cheek. “Did you have to hit me so hard?”
Dela bowed her head. “I didn’t know what else to do.”
I nodded again and winced. “At least you stopped it.”
“Was it the other dragons?” Kygo asked. “Did they come through the link you have with Ryko?” He saw my surprise. “I overheard you discuss it last night. Ryko was not over-quiet.”
“I don’t know what it was, Your Majesty.” Hoping to avoid more questions, I motioned to Ryko. The islander was still hunched over, breathing heavily. “Ryko, I’m sorry. I couldn’t stop it.”
“Are you all right?” Dela asked him, crossing the short distance on her knees.
“Stay back.”
I could not tell if the harsh words were aimed at Dela or me. Perhaps they were aimed at both of us. Dela stopped just short of him, stranded between her own need and his bristling rage. Ryko was a proud man, and he had just been felled by a woman and saved by a Contraire. He would not forgive either of us quickly.
Vida cautiously moved toward him. Ryko allowed the girl to help him straighten. His tight smile of gratitude pushed Dela up onto her feet and across the clearing, away from them.
Kygo stood and offered me his hand. “If you are able, we will move on. The sooner we free Lord Ido, the sooner you will get some control over these dragons.”
I nodded and clasped his hand. Yet some horrified part of me knew that it was not the dragons, or even Kinra, who had forced Ryko into the dirt.
It was me.
Once again, we set up a schedule of short rides and long walks. This time, however, we were heading back to the palace, Solly’s well-honed forest skills keeping us at a safe distance from any road or track. The one exception was a bridge over a swollen river. We could not risk fording the rushing waters, so we chanced a slippery peasant crossing made of rough planks and rope. With the thundering deluge only an arm’s length below, it took all of my nerve to edge over the slimy, mosscovered boards. The horses were not keen, either: each animal had to be coaxed across by a mix of Solly’s croons and Ryko’s iron grip.