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"And you know this how?" Beron sneered

"I went into the Cauldron," Nesta said flatly "It showeddown the wall, and butcher those on either side of it"

Truth or lie, I could not tell Nesta’s face revealed nothing And no one dared contradict her

She looked to Kallias and Viviane "I am sorry for the loss of those children The loss of one is abhorrent" She shook her head "But beneath the wall, I witnessed children--entire families--starve to death" She jerked her chin atthe," Nesta said "For too long have humans beneath the wall suffered and died while you in Prythian thrived Not during that--queen’s reign" She recoiled, as if hating to even speak A--fight now, to protect those you forgot Let theotten Just this once"

Thesan cleared his throat "While a noble sentiment, the details of the Treaty did not dehbors They were to be left alone So we obeyed"

Nesta re "The past is the past What I care about is the road ahead What I care about issure no children--Fae or hu this land" She scanned the faces around her "How can you not fight for it?"

She looked to Beron and his family as she finished Only the Lady and Eris seee, si woman before them

I didn’t have the words in me--to convey as in my heart Cassian seemed the same

Beron only said, "I shall consider it" A look at his family, and they vanished

Eris was the last to , so over his face, as if this was not the outcoone, the space where they’d been e dust

Slowly, Nesta sat, her face again cold--as if it were a ed in her at Beron’s disappearance

Kallias asked ave a shallow nod "All of it"

Kallias scrubbed at his face as Viviane set a hand on his arm "Does it make a difference, Kal?"

"I don’t know," he admitted

That fast, this alliance unraveled That fast--because of my lack of control,else, Rhys said frolittering panels on the back of own Better now than later Kallias won’t break--he just needs to sort it through on his own

But Tarquin said, "You saved us Under the Mountain Losing a kernel of power seems a worthy payued, "if she could be within seconds of drowning Beron despite the wards" Perhaps I’d gotten around the the wards knew to recognize

Helion’s poarh the air between us As if testing for a tether As if I were soladly sever it

Thesan declared, "What’s done is done Short of killing her"-- Rhys’s power roiled through the roo we can do"

It wasn’t entirely placating, his tone Words of peace, yet the tone was terse As if, were it not for Rhys and his power, he’d consider tyingme open to see where his poas--and how to take it back

I stood, looking Thesan in the eye Then Helion Tarquin Kallias Exactly as Nesta had done "I did not take your power You gave it to rateful for both But they are mine now And I will do with them what I will"