“If you can’t join in a productive conversation, then perhaps it’s best you leave the room.” Cedar pins her with a challenging look, and if I didn’t already like him, I’d hug him right now.

Linden doesn’t respond; she just stands up, and I think she might actually leave, but instead, she walks over to the window, spins around, and folds her arms before she leans against it, one foot planted against the wall. She glares at me, and I rub my face.

“And finally, I guess what we also need is protection. Only I can destroy the ark of Heart, just like only you can destroy those lying in front of you, but we have no idea what we’re going into beyond that.”

“Our armies are yours,” Cedar says without hesitation.

“Thank you,” Nadir says. “But I don’t think that’s what we need.”

Everyone watches him as he sits forward in his seat with his hands clasped between his legs.

“My father’s army outmatches yours by the thousands. Even if we combined everyone’s in this room, it wouldn’t be enough. Maybe if we had Aphelion, but that isn’t an option right now.”

D’Arcy huffs, reminding us of her displeasure.

“And it’s clear not everyone is amenable to that anyway,” he adds, looking at her.

“So then what?” Cedar asks.

“I think we should go quietly,” Nadir says. “We’ll need to reach the Torch to complete the bonding, but first, we have to figure out what exactly my father is up to.”

“So I’ll go in,” Amya says from where she perches on the arm of my sister’s chair.

Nadir shakes his head. “I don’t know if he trusts you anymore.”

“Maybe not, but if anyone can get close to him in this room, it’s me.”

“If he suspects anything, there’s no telling what he’ll do,” Nadir says.

“I know that,” she answers, picking at the lace of her skirt. “But what other choice do we have?” She gives Nadir a look that dares him to argue with her.

“I’ll go with her,” Mael says. “Your father has never considered me a threat or worthy of his notice.”

“What will you say if he asks where I am?”

“That we don’t know. That we tried to convince you to come home and give up the girl, but we can no longer support your reckless choices.”

Mael winks at Nadir, and he gives his friend a rueful smile.

“He’d probably buy that,” Nadir says. “Anything that makes me look like a fool.”

“I won’t support this,” D’Arcy says again. “You cannot repeat the history of your grandparents. You must find another way. Why should I destroy my ark? This was stolen from my queendom and belongs to me. I do not care if you’re forced to live in the Evanescence.”