True was not irritable.

He was also not quick to anger.

But this priest, called G’Aron, was a foolish choice for the Go’Doan to send to attend this particular summit.

Mars and Silence had left some days ago, after Mercy’s funeral, after the executions.

However, he had left his mother, the relict Queen Elpis behind to sit in his stead.

Cassius had left his lieutenant, Severus.

Aramus, his man, Tintagel.

Serena also sat that table, looking both miles away and wishing to be anywhere but there, what she had been now for days, if I saw her at all (for most of the time, she was not in the castle, whereabouts unknown and unreported, though it wasn’t my business anyway).

With Ophelia were her lieutenants Lucinda, Julia and Agnes.

King Noctorno of Hawkvale and Apollo of Lunwyn sat with us as well.

And the Go’Doan had sent two Go’En, their high priests.

G’Aron, who I assessed to be perhaps in his fifth decade on this earth (late into it). A man who was prideful and had clearly been given the directive to deny all responsibility, try to convince everyone the Go’Doan had nothing to do with this Rising and create as much distance as possible between the two.

And G’Ry, an elderly man, my guess being in his seventh or even eighth decade of life, who was quiet, watchful, often grunted unintelligibly when Aron said things I was coming to understand he didn’t agree with, but who mostly looked confused as to why he was even there.

They weren’t taking this seriously.

Then again, it was not their lands under attack.

Last, at the table was another priest, his name G’Liam. He was a man who arrived with Ophelia, not the contingent from the Dome City.

And he made it clear he looked upon Aron with great distaste, not simply the things he said, but whoever Aron was in the order of their faith.

Wilmer, I was not surprised to learn, had opted out of attending this meeting.

“But I will again assert the actions of these fanatics have nothing to do with the Dome City,” Aron concluded.

“You knew from the moment G’Dor murdered King Ares this was an issue and you did not breathe a word to anyone, anywhere,” Ophelia retorted.

I did not look at Elpis.

But Aron shot a vicious glare at Liam that promised reprisal, for Liam had shared this information with the Nadirii queen.

“If even a hair is harmed on his head, the Nadirii will ride through the Dome City and lay waste to your gold and white,” Ophelia spat.

I felt True’s attention shift from keen to critical at this assertion, along with my own and that of everyone at the table.

A Nadirii dropping the gauntlet for a Go’Doan priest?

Only then did my eyes shift to Elpis, who was staring at Ophelia.

She felt my gaze, looked to me and appeared astonished for a moment that she held it.

This was not a surprise. I had been cold to her after my own mother’s death.