Page 18 of Sins of His Wrath

When he entered the council was already there and on their feet, but they all looked tired, haggard, and scruffy. The acrid scent of smoke and dust hung heavy in the air, seeping through the chamber's lattice windows. Prillu looked the worse. Her thick black hair had been hastily tied back, but loose coils stuck out in various directions. A film of dust covered her deep-brown skin, and her clothes were torn and loose and full of dust. For someone who was usually so neat and well presented, her appearance clearly alarmed the rest of the council.

Nrommo watched her from the windows where he paced. Tshel and Oppo stood in opposite corners of the room, like they did sometimes, and Naneak stood next to Ranin, all throwing subtle glances at her. Prillu stood stiffly with her back to the door, hands clasped at the small of her back while she stared unseeingly across the room.

Akoro eyed her as he entered. It didn’t look like she’d suffered any obvious injuries. He arched a brow at her and she gave him a small nod.

“Take your seats,” Akoro said, striding to the table.

He moved to the head of the table and waited until they were all seated.

“Reports are coming in that a portal was created outside the palace which used most of the energy of thennin-eellithi,” Nrommo said as soon as everyone was seated. A harsh edge braced his voice.

“So it would’ve been worse?” Tshel asked, disbelief in her voice.

“Without the portal, the remaining magic would have been much stronger, yes,” Nrommo said grimly. “It would have possible destroyed the entire city. The question is, how did it get in and who created the portal?”

“And was happened to ournnin-boulder?” Ranin said.

“We need to figure out how the wild magic got so close to the city without our detectors alerting us,” Prillu said sharply. “That is the priority.”

Akoro held up his hand to silence them, and they instantly fell quiet. Usually, they waited for him to start the meeting, but it was obvious they were on edge. “First, was anyone hurt?” he asked.

Slowly, Oppo, Ranin and Tshel shook their heads. Nrommo had been with the army like Akoro, so he didn’t need to answer.

“I was almost hit by a collapsing wall,” Nanaek said. “I’ve got some scrapes, nothing serious, my king.”

Akoro nodded. “Prillu?”

Prillu swallowed, staring at the table. “No,” she said shakily. “But the boys…”

Akoro forced himself not to react to the sinking feeling in his stomach. Prillu had young boys—one was about eight and the other had to be around six now. “Are they all right?”

“They’re alive,” she said. “Both were hurt. But Mekil… he’s not awake yet.”

“Are they being treated in the palace?”

Prillu shook her head. “We couldn’t move him. He’s safe for now. We just need him to wake up.”

The desperation in her voice made it clear that she wouldn’t be here at the meeting if she didn’t need to be. Akoro turned to the guard by the door. “Get Yashol.”

“I don’t want him moved if it will hurt him.” Prillu sounded almost shrill, a tone Akoro had never heard from her before.

Akoro nodded at her. “Let’s see what Yashol can do. What about Kkish?” Prillu’s husband was one of the biggest traders in the city—he could’ve been anywhere.

Prillu nodded. “He has minor injuries, but he was at home when it happened. It could’ve been worse if he hadn’t been.”

“Good.” He turned to the rest of the council, who were nodding at Prillu in support. “I know what happened.”

Oppo, who was seated immediately to his left, snapped a look at him.

He leaned on the table and looked each member of the council in the eyes as he spoke. “The princess drew the magic into the heart of the city.”

Tshel gasped. “What?”

“She used the magic to create a portal to escape. My guess is she succeeded.”

A mixture of disbelief and anger twisted through the expressions around the table, their questions and exclamations overlapping each other.

“How?” Tshel said, confused. “How could she do that? Omegas can’t manipulate that magic.”

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