46
Kiria
Kiria laid her palm on the new glass pane. She stood by a potted sachion tree, half hidden from anyone who might walk through the wide palace hallway. The glass was cool against her hand. It looked clearer than the other smudgy panes, crisscrossed with black metal.
How could she lead a nation if the people didn’t trust her?
Atty had done what he thought was right. It’s what his father Aylmor would have done. Atty thought she was a threat to security, and he had always cared about safety, even more than she did. Kiria, at least when she was younger, took risks that made him shudder.
Firian was one risk she never should have taken. How else could the Tanyu have known that they were coming and had time to prepare? She was the weak link. Her face felt hot and she laid her forehea
