“That will not happen.”

The snarl left my lips before I could stop it, and, though I respected Vi’den not only as an Elder but also as an A’li-uud, I rounded on him furiously. The very thought that Lena would be moved to Dhal’at was terrible enough, but to think of her going there with Zuran was incomprehensible.

“It may not,” Vi’den agreed. “But it is the Council’s decision to make.”

“Then, summon the Elders,” I snapped. “Bring me to Forum now. I will stand my trial and whatever punishment is deemed fit, but I will not see Lena going with him.”

Zuran stroked his chin as if he were thinking deeply, but the edges of his mouth were twitching in that irritating manner, and I desperately wished I could attack him the same way I had the Novai. “You make an awful lot of demands for a murderer, Khrel,” he said smoothly.

Before I could respond to him, Vi’den asked, “Are you certain you wish me to summon the Elders to Forum? We have not even discussed your plight.”

“I know my actions were justified,” I said through stiff lips. My arm was gripping Lena so tightly that I was losing circulation to my fingers, and I was sure she was uncomfortable, but I could not find enough control to loosen my hold. “If the Council fails to see that, so be it. But my purpose now is to keep Lena safe, and she will hardly be safe under Zuran’s eye.”

For the first time since our arrival, the smirk left Zuran’s mouth. To see his expression sobered was rather unnerving, as I had rarely witnessed him completely serious. “Your opinion of me is based on my sister, Khrel. It is no reflection on my capabilities within my role in tending to the colonists of Dhal’at, but you are insisting on hating me in every manner rather than the only one in which you may be justified. As I told you years ago, I am not responsible for my sister, and her decision to leave you for a Dhal’atian was not at my urging.” Lena became still beside me as she listened to him. “If you need to believe I am to blame for your parting, I cannot stop you. But you cannot use that misperception to judge me in the other areas of my life.”

I frowned. Zuran and I had known one another for, as he said, years. Never had I heard him address me with such maturity or respect, and, as much as I did not wish to admit it, he was right.

“Perhaps I have been wrong,” I said begrudgingly, “but I still do not desire Lena to be moved from my kingdom to another.” Then, turning back to Vi’den, I said, “Please call the Council.”

* * *

P’otes-tat Ulti was the Elder City. It was the small point at which all eleven kingdoms met, blocked from the rest of the world by towering walls and imposing gates. All Forums and trials presided over by the Council were held within those walls inside the foreboding castle that stretched even higher toward the sky than the walls themselves. The castle was beautiful, in a sense, with its stone structure and notable double front doors that glistened and gleamed, but very few A’li-uud were comforted or delighted in seeing it. Civilians were only brought to P’otes-tat Ulti for less-than-favorable reasons.

I was in a small room off the great hall that served as the meeting place for the Elders with Lena. It was circular in shape, and the furniture within adapted to the geometry. Bookshelves along the walls were not flat and angular, but curved and arced. The stones that made up the walls seemed to bend in their middles. Even the chairs, which were in the center and unaffected by the roundness, had spherical backrests. Lena found the room whimsical; I found it suffocating.

“What’s going to happen now?” she whispered to me.

We had been brought to the Elder City by way of wind travel. I had only traveled in that fashion once before with Sevani, and I had not cared for it then. This time was no different. My legs felt a little shaky, and my belly seemed to have been left behind in Finiba. Lena, on the other hand, enjoyed it immensely, claiming it was exhilarating. Luckily, wind travel was a method of travel only available to Elders, and the rest of us were only privileged enough to use it when an Elder took us with him—like tonight. I was perfectly satisfied taking the extra few days to travel on foot.

“We wait until we are summoned,” I told her.

“Will we be summoned together?” she asked.

I looked at her. She appeared not to be afraid as I would have expected, but rather purposeful with a hint of defiance underneath. “I do not know,” I replied honestly.

She let out a deep exhale, and I leaned over to kiss her gently. Before I could lean back, however, she stopped me by placing a hand on my shoulder. “Why do you hate Zuran?” she asked.

I frowned and said at once, “It is in the past. As he said earlier, I cannot assign my distaste for him to all aspects of his being.”

“You dated his sister.” It was not a question, and she seemed determined to get the response she was looking for.

“Yes,” I admitted. “Does that bother you?”

“No, of course not. But I would like to know what happened.”

I almost smiled wryly. “Your timing is impeccable, beautiful one. I am not sure this is the place to discuss such things.”

“If not now, when?” she insisted. “You heard Vi’den. There’s a chance I’ll be leaving here to go to Dhal’at instead of Pentaba. There might not be another time.”

Though I knew what she said was a possible reality, it still formed a hard knot in my stomach, and my breathing grew shallow at the thought. If the Council happened to see my side of the murders and assault but still decided in favor of moving the Pentaban colonists to Dhal’at, I would willingly depart from my swamp home to the desert kingdom. I would go where Lena went. Nevertheless, it was still a thought that waxed sour in my mind.

“Her name was Ola,” I said with a sigh of resignation. “We had a serious relationship many years ago before I even became War Chief. She was living in Dhal’at, of course, as that was her home, but she traveled often to Pentaba to sell her wares on the Merchant’s Boardwalk. It was there where we met. Our relationship developed, and there was talk of marriage, but she often told me of her brother’s disapproval. He did not want her marrying a Pentaban or any other A’li-uud who was not Dhal’atian.”

“Is that common?” Lena interjected. There was obvious concern on her face. “To be met with disapproval when marrying outside your kingdom?”

I tilted my head in consideration. “I would not say it is common,” I said slowly, “but it is not unheard of. There are many who believe relocation from one’s native kingdom results in trouble, either for the individual or for the kingdom itself.”

She frowned so deeply her mouth seemed to disappear nearly an inch into her face, but she gestured for me to continue with my story.

“I went back to Dhal’at with her after learning of her brother’s feelings. I wished to speak with him. Ola seemed pleased to have me accompany her home, but it was short-lived. She began disappearing for nights at a time without explanation, only to return as if nothing had happened. Zuran seemed friendly at first, and he would often be my companion during her absences. It was during those times I participated in the less-than-savory activities he mentioned earlier. I eventually learned Ola was seeing another A’li-uud, a native Dhal’atian, and I confronted her. She left that night and never returned. I was convinced it was at Zuran’s urging, and I sought him out.”

Lena was watching me intently, but she did not speak. I was grateful for the lack of interruption.

“We fought. He never said whether he persuaded her to leave me or not, so I assumed the worst. I left Dhal’at the next day and returned to Pentaba. That was the last time I had seen Zuran, until tonight,” I finished.

She looked slightly nervous as she said, “If I’m being honest, it doesn’t sound like you have proof he told her to leave you. I mean, I know you were hurting, but it sounds like you jumped to conclusions. But, even if he had been a voice in her ear, it was still her doing to leave, not his.”

“I am beginning to understand that now,” I said with a nod. “As much as it pains me, because I do so enjoy hating Zuran.”

She giggled, and I threw her a small smile. Telling my story had taken my mind off the trial for a few minutes, and for that I was grateful, but the reality of where I was and why had returned in full force. I drew in a deep breath just as the door leading into the great hall opened.

A short A’li-uud, who still stood over Lena, poked his head into the room. “The Council is ready to see you,” he said in English. He glanced at Lena before flicking back to me. “Both of you.”