"Thank the gods, I found you!"

Fenrin felt more than heard Matius as he materialized at his side.

"You should be with your people. You know what this means for Aziron," Fenrin grunted without looking over.

"Don't give me that, you are my people. Now hold still so I can look at those."

Matius's hand gently, but firmly, held Fenrin's shoulder and with a sigh Fenrin stopped and allowed him to look at the holes the crossbow bolts had left in it.

He knew they were infected and Matius whistled as he pulled away Fenrin's limited attempts at bandaging them. The familiar warmth of healing magic washed over Fenrin, but it couldn't reach the ache he felt in his chest.

"I killed him, Matius. I killed Vai and...and Fiona saw it happen." Fenrin fell to his knees, speaking the words out loud and Matius sat down beside him quietly. His silence pulled the rest from Fenrin's lips.

"I would have made it. Taken Fiona away from her, explained things, but he was in the way. He knew...he knew what was going to happen. I could see it on his face, so damned accepting. I should've realized then that she must've ordered him—" He choked out a sob before gritting his teeth. "It was a trick. She knew I would come and knew what would make Fiona stay away from me and as always she was right."

"Fiona's a smart girl. Do you really think it's going to take her long to realize what's happening?" The sharpness in Matius's voice surprised Fenrin. "How long do you think it will take before she realizes her mother doesn't care about her? She’s not a child anymore."

Matius's voice grew softer. "Once she does, the poor girl is going to be more alone in the world than she has ever been. Do you really think she's stupid enough to fall for Lyra's lies or do you think that, realizing what's happened, she's going to want her uncle back? The man who basically raised her and knows exactly what kind of a person Lyra is."

Fenrin frowned, the idea not helping the cold lump of fear in his stomach for his niece. "What am I supposed to do? Storm Stadrhym and bring her back?"

"I seem to recall it wouldn't be the first time," Matius said dryly and Fenrin looked at him with shock. Matius's face was serious. "Jayln, you, and I tried the best we could to keep our corner of the world safe, but we've come to realize that the world has no corners. Lyra is going to keep coming and keep taking unless someone stops her."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying history is about to repeat itself and there's some people you need to talk to. Come on." Matius reached his hand out and Fenrin took it, the two dissolving into a breeze.

They landed in Matius's study. The room had been turned upside down, everything shoved to the side to make room for the glowing circle on the floor.

"I offered our place, but things would have been a bit crammed so...let's go." Matius stumbled a bit, his legs weak from carrying the two of them so far on the wind

Fenrin looked confused but Matius just took his arm. "Come on, I know you don't remember the last time you did this, but we do need to hurry."

He pulled Fenrin into the circle which glowed and Fenrin felt like someone had flipped him upside down and then right-side up. He stumbled as they landed.

"Fenrin! You're alright!" Jayln embraced him and Fenrin grabbed her shoulders and held her back, looking around.

They were in a large stone chamber, a long table in the middle at the head of which was a vaguely familiar old man.

"Is that?" he asked and Jayln nodded, pulling him half dazed to a chair.

Fenrin pulled his eyes from the Arch Mage and glanced at the other figures. There was a woman with curly hair, red as fire, her hands gripped on a gnarled wooden staff with green leaves growing from it. Her face was covered with tattoos, moving like vines from the sides of her face. She was eyeing a man across from her with disgust.

The man in question, an Aryi with his hair in a gemmed turban, was returning the look tenfold and sitting stiffly, annoyance radiating off him. To his right was a dark skinned Duskar woman who was carefully looking at the map that glowed magically on the table, muttering words with a short man with hair like obsidian that fell long and straight.

Lastly was a person unlike anything Fenrin had ever seen. The woman was unnaturally tall, at least seven feet, with huge white wings tipped with black like a seagull's. She stood behind the red haired woman and her piercing blue gaze fell on Fenrin.

"This the queen's brother?" she asked, her voice as sharp as her gaze.

The question snapped Fenrin out of it and he bristled, "Not by choice."

The winged woman smirked and everyone's eyes turned to Fenrin who crossed his arms. "What is all this, Jayln?" he asked, too tired to keep trying to guess at what the hell was going on.

With a wave of his hand, the Arch Mage silenced Jayln and stood. "I feel a repeat of our purpose here would be beneficial for all."

The Aryi sniffed but the Arch Mage ignored him and continued, "I was born one hundred and nineteen years ago, the same year Aziron broke its long standing policy of neutrality and joined the war against the old Solis Empire. It was then that our people learned that we could not turn a blind eye to the suffering of our neighbors. We are all here to assure that we do not make the same mistake as our ancestors and let another empire spread across En."

Fenrin raised an eyebrow. The blind old mage was clearly old, but he had no idea he was that old. The Arch Mage continued, "Aziron's rejection of the old ways was the right choice, but it has weakened our core, forcing us to put more trust in our allies. With the death of Queen Li'jasa and her family we will not hold off the Iron Queen much longer. Aziron has been breached for the first time since its founding and my people are scared. I ask for your strength to push back Valhym."

The Aryi man who had grown increasingly agitated by the Arch Mage's speech slammed his hands on the table and stood. "You speak of changed ways, but where were your mages when Valhym blockaded the Sky Sea. Where were you when our Emperor was killed?"

The Arch Mage's face grew hard. "Valhym did not slay your Emperor, Mahaq, your own people did."

Mahaq's face went bronze and he hissed, "My people were starving as you watched from your tower. Don't pretend you were even part of this war before it reached your doorstep."

"Aryus has always been a place of greed and corruption. It was only a matter of time before its wickedness caught up with it," the winged woman said with venom, "be grateful we are even considering allying with your people."

The fiery haired Dyve woman pounded her staff on the floor stopping any retaliation from Mahaq. "Enough. It is not the past that brings us here, it is the future. The Iron Queen has stretched herself too thin and this is our best chance to stop her spread. However, if we cannot cease bickering and make an alliance work, this opportunity will pass us by. I am not eager to lose a second home."

Fenrin had heard enough. He stood and all eyes turned to him. "Jayln, a word?"

A number of the people at the table looked offended, but Fenrin was too tired and irritated to care. Jayln stood up as well and followed Fenrin out the nearest door. He prayed it wasn't a closet.

I wasn't but as he shut the door, Jayln and him stood awkwardly on the Arch Mage's stairs. It'd been a long time since Fenrin had been in this tower and he'd forgotten about the blasted magic stairs.

Awkwardly he shifted across the narrow space to lean against the other wall.

"Jayln," he said slowly, "what the hell is all that?" He gestured vaguely at the room they'd left.

"What do you mean? It's an alliance of sorts, the Arch Mage called them together to defeat Lyra."

"But why are you and I here?"

Jayln's eyes widened with understanding. "Oh, well, obviously Matius had a hand in bringing everyone together and after Lyra took Fiona...well I had a bit of a revelation."

Fenrin crossed his arms. "Yeah? Do share."

With a sigh, Jayln met Fenrin's grey eyes. "When you and I found that valley all those years ago, we were looking for a safe place to start over. A place to avoid the wars and fighting of other people, but look at us now? Aren't we back where we started?"

"So you're saying everything we built was for nothing." Fenrin's voice was small and Jayln winced.

"Of course not! I believe the same I did back then—that there are more people that prefer peace to war, that fighting should be avoided unless it's to defend your home and family. It's just," she placed a hand on Fenrin's shoulder, "I'm beginning to realize my family is a lot bigger than I thought."

"This is my fault. I brought my messy family business to people who don't deserve it."

Jayln punched Fenrin's arm. "Don't say that! Look, we always knew Lyra would eventually reach us but in there," she gestured to the door, "are other people in the same situation. You don't know those people but your 'messy family business' is affecting them regardless. Don't you see? Those people, they're our family too."

Fenrin raised an eyebrow and Jayln listed on her fingers, "The Azir learned this lesson during the last great war, like the Arch Mage said. They learned that non-interference was just turning your back on people you should be helping to protect. The Dyve and Avins have been helping each other for centuries, despite being entirely different species. That's how we defeat people like Lyra. We stand together, not drawing lines between us to save our own skins."

She spoke with a sure passion and Fenrin felt his heart stir. It'd been a long stretch of peace. A nice stretch of peace, but even with a war council not five feet away, he didn't feel like that peace was going to shatter.

Stand together. It certainly was a selfless approach, and nothing was as opposite of Lyra as selflessness.

"And the Aryi? What great philosophical truth did that egoist bring?" Fenrin asked and for a moment Jayln stumbled for words until she realized he was teasing.

"Personally, none," she said rolling her eyes, "but there's something to be said for what Aryus is going through. They've been running their islands like Lyra is running her empire, through fear, propaganda, and decisive punishment. Yet despite all that, the beaten down common people overthrew the Aryi Emperor. I'd say that speaks well of our odds, don't you think?"

"And me?"

Jayln gave him a smile. "Well you know her better than anyone, point us in the right direction and we'll take her down."

Fenrin pushed himself off the wall, "Alright then, well you've already got one thing figured out. Taking Lyra out is key. She's selfish and a control freak. My guess is she's holding her empire together with her own iron grip. Kill her and the threads will drop. Cut off the head of the snake as it were."

"Then what are we waiting for?"