“We all have translation charms, Asees,” a man, whose accent she thought might be Volen, said. “Continue as you plan. Like everyone, I am eager to hear what is to be said.”

“There is much to discuss, Lionus,” Asees replied. “But though I had the power to bring you here, the idea was not mine. You should speak to the woman whose plan I believe we should follow. Her wisdom has taught me many things.”

Asees turned to Saxony, and for a moment Saxony almost froze under the pressure.

Asees nudged her firmly forward.

“Hello, my name is Saxony Akintola of the Rishiyat Kin.”

Her voice was too small. Too fumbling. She cleared her throat and tried again.

“We called you here to talk about Dante Ashwood, the Kingpin of Uskhanya,” Saxony said.

Louder, firmer, like a leader would.

There was a murmur among the Lieges. They had all heard his name, whether they were from this realm or not. Ashwood had been a driving force in the War of Ages and so there was not a Crafter alive today who didn’t know the shadow man.

“He has a new magic,” Saxony said. “He calls it the Loj elixir. It’s something he has been trying to perfect for many years, which caused the magic sickness across our realm. Now it’s finally perfected and he’s using it to build an army.”

“We’ve heard whispers,” a Liege said—a woman, whose accent was familiar. “I am Theodora of the Kythnu Kin. My people have heard of Creije’s battle and since their Liege hasn’t joined us today, I’m assuming that means their Kin has fallen? Do you have word of this?”

“Fallen?” the Volen man—Lionus—asked. “I cannot believe that’s true. What is this magic that could take a whole Kin? How did Dante Ashwood create it?”

Saxony wondered if she should lie to them about Zekia, because telling a room full of powerful Crafters that her sister had helped to invent a magic that had started a new war wouldn’t make the best impression.

Even so, she didn’t want to begin this alliance with lies.

She didn’t want to hide things from them, when now more than ever they needed to come together as a team.

They had to trust her.

“It’s mind control,” Saxony said. “And my sister, who was taken by Ashwood, helped him to create it.”

She saw the twitch in their eyes.

How Lionus in particular had to bite down on his lip to keep it from curling into a snarl.

These Lieges weren’t going to be sympathetic to a girl who’d lost her sister. They were angry with a Crafter who had betrayed her kind. As though Zekia’s actions made Saxony an enemy too.