He left nothing out. Gryphon stood with his arms crossed. Madden sat grumpily on the sand, a hand to a large goose egg on his forehead. Ryon leaned on his sword while Cadeyrn listened, his attention focused on Kye’s words. The rest of us wavered on our feet, the heat from the past couple of days catching up to us. Occasionally, Cadeyrn’s gaze swept to me, his silence and attention disturbing, but it wasn’t until Kye mentioned the Kiarian Freesonalay and the prophecy that any reaction crossed the Sadeemian men’s faces. Cadeyrn’s shoulders tensed. Nausea swept over me. “May I sit?” I whispered. I was beyond caring if my question looked weak. Kye glanced at us all. “Please,” he said, “my people are weak. We need water and rest.” Cadeyrn nodded. “Take them,” he ordered. “Leave the girls with our women. Let them bathe and eat. The men are to have the same treatment. Afterwards, bring the prince, the dragon, and Garod’s daughter back to me.” The soldiers didn’t hesitate.
