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The Lord’s bright blue eyes turned to Tessa now, and Theon didn’t need to turn around to know she was staring back at him. He knew it from the shuffle of Luka’s feet, knew he was likely nudging her with his knee. But Tessa had spent time with Rordan after the Emerging Ceremony and had said little about it. Theon needed to discuss it with her, needed to discuss so many things, but if he wasn’t allowed to keep her at his side, he wouldn’t have that time. So preparing for today had become his main focus to the point of obsession. Once this was over, he’d fix everything else, get everything back on track.

Rordan was still studying her when he spoke again. “While she does have some power from the Achaz line?—”

“Some power?” Lady Isleen interrupted. “That was notsomepower, Rordan. She is strong.”

“I am not denying that, Luna,” Rordan replied, his attention still fixed beyond Theon and on the female in question.

“But not all of her power is of the Achaz line.”

Every head turned to Kyra Aithne, the Anala Lady. Her bright copper hair tumbled over her shoulders in waves. She tilted her head, and as she did, the lighting made the golden undertones stand out, as if her hair was flames itself.

“You are exactly right, Kyra,” Rordan replied, finally sitting up straighter. His shoulder-length golden hair was pulled back, and he lifted a hand, light glowing in his palm. “We may have light and can use it as we see fit, but we cannot summon a storm indoors.”

“Then what line is she crossed with?” Lady Candra demanded.

“Isn’t that the question of the day?” Rordan replied, turning to look down at them once more.

“Can she do more than summon storms?” the Falein Lady asked, genuine curiosity in her tone.

Everyone’s attention settled on Theon. His hands were curled around the arms of his chair, just like his father’s were. “We do not know the full extent of her gifts,” he answered. “Her assessments always predicted the air element, but that clearly is not the case. Her Emerging happened a week ago, and there has been little time to explore her gifts in the last few days.”

“So you do not know?” Lady Farhan clarified.

He felt the muscle tick in his jaw as he ground his teeth. “She clearly has Achaz gifts, but I believe she can do more than simply summon a rainstorm indoors.”

“Clearly,” the Serafina Lady scoffed. “We all saw the damage done to the Pantheon that night.”

“That was not entirely her fault,” Axel chimed in. “There was more than Tessa’s magic being flung around the Pantheon. Legacy and Fae alike panicked.Everyonelost control. All of your kingdoms sent sentinels after her. Do not place the blame for that destruction at her feet. None of the events of the past few weeks have been entirely her fault.”

He turned then, and Theon turned with him, watching his brother’s gaze connect with Tessa’s. “The blame in all of this does not lie with you.”

The room was silent for a heartbeat, and Tessa held Axel’s gaze, her features expressionless as she listened to everyone debate what she was. Something flickered in her violet-grey stare. Theon saw her throat bob, and then she dropped her gaze to her lap, her fingers gripping the edge of the bench. Theon glanced at Luka, where his elbows were braced on his knees, his fingers loosely clasped.

“Be that as it may,” the Serafina Lady said, bringing everyone back to the debate at hand. “That kind of power cannot simply remain unchecked.”

“Bullshit,” Valter scoffed. “Every Kingdom has an advantage against the other kingdoms. Every Kingdom but Arius. This levels out more than one playing field.”

“This is not a game, Valter,” Lady Candra snapped.

“If this were any other kingdom, this would not even be a debate,” Valter retorted, and Theon thought for sure his father was going to get to his feet, but he managed to stay seated, the shadows thickening around him.

“That isn’t true,” Lord Jove said calmly.

“No?” Valter sneered. “If she were part of your kingdom, you would still be open to this debate?”

“If she were part ofmykingdom, she would be where she belongs,” the Achaz Lord replied, his voice low and cold, and all the Legacy shifted, power flickering at their fingertips as their Sources tensed.

“Are you proposing that you take possession of her and leave my heir without a Source?” Valter replied, his tone as cold as Rordan’s.

“I am proposing the same thing I proposed the night you showed up on my doorstep,” Lord Jove replied, settling back in his chair once more. “Tessalyn should be housed at the Pantheon until her lineage and power can be determined. Once that is taken care of, then we decide the next steps.”

“That leaves my son without a Source bond to cultivate in the meantime,” Valter snapped. “Not an option.”

“Is there anything else you can tell us about her lineage? Anything else that might help us make the most logical decision in this matter?” the Falein Lady asked, directing her questions back to Theon.

“Due to her parentage being altered, we must assume everything in her documents has been altered,” Theon answered. “I need more than a few days to sort through all of that and find answers. I am respectfully asking for the time todo that, and if it is granted, it will be far easier to have her with me for such a task rather than having to track her down at the Pantheon every time I need to ask her a question or test a theory.”

“And in the meantime, you continue to foster a Source bond with a being that is clearly not Fae? Absurd,” scoffed Lady Candra.