"How did you know that Corvina was the Queen of Velpavane?" Gideon asked her.

Nilsa rubbed her eyes and rested her elbows on the table and her face in her hands. Nobody else was sitting down at the giant war table but her, as she'd been instructed to. Nilsa felt like she was the guard in the dungeon. In a way, she supposed she was being interrogated. "Because she was the only other person who knew about Chryseis."

    "How did you know her anyway?" Chryseis asked.

    Nilsa braced herself for impact. "She's been at the palace for about two weeks now, and if I'm correct, arrived three days after Yurobrouv was attacked."

    Their eyes bulged out of their heads. "What?" Alaeca burst. "How could you not have told us sooner!" She yelled.

    The same anger was bubbling inside of Nilsa too. Whether it was aimed at Corvina or herself she didn't know, but she was aware that it was becoming extremely hard to contain. "How was I supposed to know it was her?" She replied calmly.

    "She looks evil inside and out," Czarin said.

    "She looked normal," Nilsa stated. "I apologize that I didn't pick up 'evil Queen of Velpavane' when she simply introduced herself like anybody would!"

    "And you've been talking to her ever since?" Gideon questioned.

    "Twice," Nilsa corrected. "I had lunch with her, and then again today before the meeting. Only one of the two occasions did I know that she was with Velpavane, or else you would have known sooner."

    Chryseis scoffed. "Dear Father, who knows how much information you've given away."
    Nilsa's blood ran cold. "Why am I being spoken to like I'm a criminal?" She asked the table.

    "Because in the eyes of my court," Alaeca said, "you could be placed in the dungeons for treason. Hell, any of our courts could decide the same."

    Now, her blood ran hot. She felt like she had pure flame in every part of her body, her head more than most. "Try it," she sneered. Citali was silent but Nilsa could feel the bright light coming from her own eyes. Nilsa wondered if she was the one controlling it, but the gods stepped back when they saw it. "Place me in your dungeons and try to tell me I've betrayed you. I'd like to see it."

    "Nobody is placing you in a cell," Rieka said carefully.

    "I'd sure hope not," Nilsa responded with a laugh. "Because I think that you've all forgotten your place. You can set me in this palace and oversee my abilities, but you do not have any authority over me. I don't give a single damn what your laws say."

    The whole table was silent with stone faced stares.

    If they don't have anything to say, Nilsa thought, then I won't waste my time. She got up from her chair and began to walk out of the room.

    "Where are you going, Nilsa?" Gideon questioned.

    The bright eyes had disappeared, but she felt just as angry as she had been when they were on show. "Out."

    "We are not done here," Chryseis told her.

    Nilsa laughed, opening the door. "No. We are."  She was already walking out into the hall. "Talk to me when your heads are clear, or don't. Can't say I particularly care." And then, she was gone.

***

    "Now I remember why she was my favorite," Caspian stated when the doors slammed behind the prophet.

    Ronan sat down with a sigh. This was all a big mess. He should have stepped in before it began.

    The rest of his siblings followed suit, all looking equally as exhausted. "I have never seen a host who has control of their oracle's abilities," Rieka mentioned.

    "The eyes?" Thorin clarified. Those were terrifying. Nilsa, even with her small stature, could be threatening enough by herself, and she didn't need the eyes to scare people.

    Rieka nodded. "Usually, Citali would have to be in control, but that was all Nilsa."

    "Ronan," Chryseis said. "Can you please talk some sense into the prophet? We have no time for petty games."

    "Then what were you playing?" He bit back. Chryseis only gave him a blank stare but the rest of the table looked shocked at what he said. Well, except Caspian. Caspian smiled like a little boy on Winterfest.

    "She's been conversing with the enemy," Chrysies said with a low chuckle. "How do we know that she hadn't been responsible for the attack on the palace?"
    "Now you're really talking from your ass, sister," Caspian told her with a laugh. "The prophet didn't lie once during that entire meeting."

    "Well, Caspian, your abilities have been less than impressive lately," Gideon observed. "Things could have gone right past your nose."

    Caspian simply grinned. "Then let's test them. Try and tell me that you think the prophet has betrayed us? Try and tell me that you think the prophet is responsible for the attack?" When Gideon couldn't say anything, Caspian leaned back in his chair. "Thought so."

    "I think all of us need to remember our place, including the prophet."

    "She's our friend," Caspian replied with a calm tone that hadn't been there before. "Today was our fault, and she told us so. I'd assume she'd gone soft if she hadn't, so at least we can assume everything is normal." Nobody answered him so Ronan got up from his chair.

    "And where are you going?" Alaeca asked.

    "I'm fixing your guys' mess," he stated before leaving.

    He arrived in Nilsa's room five minutes later.

    She was standing by the window with her hands folded over her chest as she looked over the gardens. She didn't turn to see who it was. "I'm not apologizing to anyone today."

    "I wasn't going to ask you to." He moved towards her place next to the window. "They know that you're not working with Velpavane."

    "Really?" She hummed. "They had a funny way of showing that."

    Ronan managed to laugh. "You're not wrong." He wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her from behind. He smiled when she leaned her head against him and grasped his hands. "You never told me, who's your favorite now?"

    He could picture her smile. "Who said my answer changed?"

    "I would assume your logic has improved since then."

    She chuckled. "Not sure. Purple eyes are pretty cool."

    "Can I change your mind?"

    "It's going to be very hard."

    "Good," he replied, kissing down her jaw. "I love a good challenge."

***

    They re-entered the war room minutes after Nilsa said she'd changed her mind. None of his siblings had moved, and by the looks on their faces, not much had been said since then.

    Nilsa walked back to her seat. After she sat down, she surveyed the room with cold hazel eyes. "If I am spoken to like that ever again," she began, "then I promise all of you that my previous reaction will appear mild next to the one I will have." She leaned back in her chair when everything was silent.

    Ronan sat down too. "Well I'd assume that I didn't do damage control for you all to stay silent."

    Caspian had a wild grin on his face.