38
Kiria
Other Kingdom cities had mixed reactions to Kiria’s call for aid. More of them acted like Emeric than she’d expected. A few responded right away that they’d come, but most of those were small—too small to turn the tide on their own. Their tenuous alliance with Charäkhnem provided the best hope of overwhelming the Tanyu with numbers. Also, the prospect of seeing Haved again energized them all.
On Kiria’s other trips to Charäkhnem, she had only heard of the Book of Names. She’d pictured an artifact, a bound book like a copy of the Sacred Scroll, housed in the enormous palace somewhere, but it wasn’t an artifact. It was the palace itself.
Haved Ganesha ran her fingers reverently along the polished bronze wall scored with thousands of names in unreadable characters. It was beautif
