The first to reach her, he opened his arms and held her tight. Finally he released her, and she turned to embrace Liana. Then, despite Eiric’s protests, Chloe even pulled him into a hug. She heard Liana laugh.

‘Eiric,’ Chloe said. She looked around. ‘Is Dion with you?’

Eiric shook his head. ‘He had to return to Xanthos.’ His face turned grim. ‘Palemon is alive. Dion must prepare his people for war.’

‘Palemon’s alive?’ Chloe’s stomach clenched at the news. But she also felt disappointment sink into her chest. Dion had other things on his mind than her.

Glancing at Liana, Chloe knew her friend could read her easily. ‘You know that Dion needs time,’ Liana said softly.

‘Which brings us to our purpose here,’ Eiric said. ‘Dion said he can help us broker peace with the other nations. If we are to fight together, we will need alliances. But Dion has his own concerns with his kingdom.’ He met her eyes. ‘Chloe . . . Will you help us? Will you plead our case, and bring peace between humans and eldren, as you have done before?’

Sweeping her gaze over the group, Chloe saw Zachary, Liana, and Eiric all looking at her expectantly, filled with hope.

‘War is coming,’ Zachary said. ‘Whether we want it to or not.’

‘Please, Chloe?’ Liana asked.

Chloe smiled. ‘You are my friends. All of you. You don’t even need to ask.’

Dion sat at a high table in his palace’s banqueting hall, his uncle and adviser seated across from him. There were two others at the table: Finn, his master of coin, and Roxana, the commander of his fleet. Together they leaned over a map spread out on its surface.

‘So Kargan made it back to Lamara,’ Glaukos said.

‘He did,’ Dion said. ‘We spoke before we parted, and we’ve pledged to join forces.’

‘Poor man,’ Roxana said. ‘He lost half his fleet.’

‘There is still plenty of fight left in him,’ Dion said, shaking his head as he remembered Kargan’s fury. He turned to Finn. ‘What is the state of our finances?’

‘Strong,’ Finn said.

‘And our fleet?’ he asked Roxana.

‘With Ilea’s losses . . . ?’ She spread her hands. ‘We now possess the most powerful naval force in the world.’

‘Dion . . .’ Glaukos corrected himself. ‘Sire . . . What of the eldren?’

‘I’m certain we can broker peace between Sindara and Tanus.’ Dion met his uncle’s eyes. ‘Eiric will fight with us.’

Glaukos’s jaw was clenched. He looked at Dion’s face, and Dion knew what he was seeing: bruises and scars, eyes filled with pain and darkness. ‘We will wreak vengeance on them, lad, for what they did to you.’