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Axus appraised her for a long while. 'Isa's deputy … among other things,' he said. His lips twitched into a smile. 'Sit, please.'

Axus and Fyia sat facing each other over an empty fire pit, which roared to life as soon as they settled on the ground. Edu, Adigos, and Rouel sat behind Fyia on the second row of mats.

Axus looked expectant, waiting for her to begin. Unlike most courts, the Fae'ch dispensed with pleasantries. No one would enquire about their journey, nor offer refreshments, unless they asked for them. No one would show them to their sleeping quarters, indeed, sleeping quarters would not be prepared until they requested them.

'You know why I am here?' Fyia asked, looking Axus in the eye and refusing to look away, holding his gaze in a way that many would find uncomfortable. Axus didn't seem to notice, his fluctuating eye color the only reaction she could discern, and she had no way to decipher what that meant.

'You seek the dragon egg,' he said, tilting his head to the side, but still not looking away.

'I do,' she confirmed. 'Will you show it to me?'

'No, but I can assure you, it has not hatched.' His voice was suddenly ethereal, and Fyia became uneasy, the hairs on her arms standing on end.

'You've seen it yourself?' she asked, forcing her disquiet away.

'No one may enter the chamber, but we would know if it had hatched.'

'How?'

'Magic.'

Fyia paused a beat, reeling the conversation back in before it ran away from her. 'Magic is tricksy, and can be fooled.'

'You question Isa's power?' said Axus, his tone sharp.

'Of course not … but, has she seen the egg since I united the Five Kingdoms?'

'No one may enter the chamber, even Isa.'

'You're lying,' said Fyia, knowing it to the very core of her being. Something in the magic she kept tramped down within her sensed his deception.

He laughed. 'Your skills are quite good, considering your lack of training.'

'I wanted nothing more than to be trained as a child. Alas, my family does not appreciate magic the way I do.'

'I am aware.'

'I'm not leaving the mountain until I see the dragon egg.' The words were harsher than she'd intended, but discussion of Fyia's magic irked her—magic she so desperately wanted to use, but did not know how. That the fae before her knew more about her own skills than she did … she put the thoughts from her mind; she wasn't here to discuss magic.

'Will you conquer our lands if we refuse?' said Axus. 'The way you took everyone else's?'

'I only took from those who refused to work with me.'

'And if we refuse to work with you?'

'The Fae'ch do not oppress their own people, at least, from the little I know of you.'

'No. Your people are the specialists there.' His tone was bitter. The fae lived to a great age … maybe Axus had experienced the violence of the Kings firsthand.

'Notmypeople,' said Fyia. 'I welcome magic in my lands. I wish to bring it back into the open.'

'But there are those who wish to overthrow you, who do not believe you rule by right, who hate magic, who are fearful.'

'Which is why I must see the dragon egg,' said Fyia. 'With a dragon, I can improve things for everyone. Those with magic are already free to live anywhere in my kingdoms, and with a dragon, I can protect them … protect everyone who needs it.'

Axus let silence fall. It stretched until the men behind Fyia twitched with discomfort, but she wouldn't give Axus the satisfaction of watching her fidget … she would sit here all night, still as a statue, if that's what it took.

'I'll make you a deal,' said Axus, his lips twitching once more. 'We will throw a party in your honor. If you are still awake and in attendance at dawn, I will show you the egg.'