Page 88 of Sins of His Wrath

A long moment passed. Akoro leaned on the table, his mind grasping the implications.

The council watched him, waiting.

"We don't have enough time to evacuate everyone," Nrommo said. He moved to the map, gesturing broadly. "Not in a month. Not even half our population. And the artifacts, the temples, our history?—"

"We need to consider another option," Prillu said, cutting through the tension.

She stepped closer to Akoro, her eyes locked on to him, her voice low. "We need to give the princess all her days to find the Solution."

Akoro's nostrils flared, heat rising in his chest. “That isn’t a strategy, Prillu. We have to make concrete plans.”

"The Solution does not exist,” Nrommo said.

"You don't know that," Oppo shot back.

"Generations have tried to find it," Akoro growled. "All have failed."

"None of them were her," Tshel said quietly. “From what I heard, she has an affinity for magic that is unlike anything we’ve witnessed here.”

“She’s from a different land,” Akoro said. “Magic works differently there.”

“She managed to control annin-eellithilong enough to devastate this city,” Prillu said. “And with no tools, no artifacts. That is unheard of, my king, even among the people who tried and failed.”

“Is that why you offered her uninterrupted days when she asked?” Akoro asked sharply.

Prillu bowed her head. “My apologies, I know I did that without your approval, my king. But my job is to secure advantageous trades and deals for the Sy Dynasty. And since the princess might be the only one who can succeed, impeding her on this felt like working against our own interests.”

The room fell still, the weight of her words settling over them. Akoro's fists clenched at his sides, knuckles whitening.

"I only agreed to her proposal to bring her back to me and to give our city time to recover," he said, his voice rising. "I never intended for her to put herself in harm’s way."

"You never intended to give her a real chance," Prillu clarified, frowning at him.

"Because it cannot be done!" Akoro thundered, his control slipping momentarily. The force of his voice seemed to rattle the very walls. "And I will not let her kill herself attempting it."

No one spoke for several moments. The frantic, panicked air of the room thickened until it was charged with tension.

"But what if she can?" Oppo said, stepping closer. The determination in his voice was unlike him—Oppo, always the measured one, the voice of caution. "What if she succeeds where others have failed?" His voice softened. "Imagine it, brother. Our people, able to stay in their homeland. No more fear. No more evacuation plans. No more crumbling cities."

“I made a promise to them?—”

“Yes. That you would retire our culture to greatness. But we’d have to leave everything behind to do it. Imagine if you could say to them, there would be no morennin-eellthi.”

The possibility curled through Akoro's mind, fragile and impossible. He wanted to crush it before it took root, before it could grow into something that might shatter when reality crashed against it.

Ranin cleared his throat, drawing Akoro's attention. "The princess has shown abilities unlike any Omega we've encountered," he pointed out, his tone careful, diplomatic. "What she did to escape... drawing the magic in, controlling it, creating a portal?—"

"She nearly died doing it," Akoro snapped.

"But she didn't," Nanaek countered, something like hope flickering in her usually stoic expression. "She survived. And if she could find the Solution...." She exchanged glances with Ranin. "It would go a long way toward absolving her for the damage she caused."

The room fell silent again. Each council member watched Akoro, waiting for his decision.

Akoro turned away, pacing to the window. Outside, the city glittered in the afternoon light—beautiful despite its scars, ancient and proud. His city. His people. His responsibility.

He could see workers repairing a fallen wall, their movements coordinated and efficient. A child ran past, laughing, chased by another. Life continuing despite everything, tenacious and determined. Just like his people had always been.

"If we don't try this," Prillu said softly from behind him, her voice barely above a whisper, "and the storm comes as predicted, we lose everything. Not just lives, but our heritage. Our culture." Her voice cracked slightly. "Everything the Sy Dynasty has fought to preserve."

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