Eona - Alison Goodman [47]
“Your Majesty, there is no guarantee that Lord Ido will agree to help us, even if we do manage to get him out of the palace,” Ryko said.
“That is true. There are no guarantees. There is, however, the certainty that without Lord Ido, Lady Eona will not be able to use her power. She must be trained, and he is the only Dragoneye left to do it.”
There was also another certainty, known only to me. Ido would jump at the chance to mold my power. He thought I was the key to the String of Pearls and the throne. For a moment I considered offering the insight, but the idea of Ido with access to my power would not reassure anyone.
And there was always the chance that I had truly changed him.
Yuso bowed deeply, the others quickly following his lead. “Your wisdom is heaven-sent, Your Majesty,” he said. Around the semicircle, murmurs of agreement sounded.
“I also have an excellent advisor,” Kygo said. “Lady Eona has agreed to be my Naiso.”
“What?” Ryko reared out of his bow.
Yuso was not far behind, astonishment shifting into disbelief. The others were just a blur as I lowered my head, bracing against their shock.
“Your Majesty, no!” Ryko’s anger propelled him forward on his knees. “You don’t know her.” The venom in his voice struck at me. I clenched my fists.
“A girl, Your Majesty? How can a girl advise you?” Yuso demanded. “It is against nature.”
“She is not just a girl,” Dela said, “she is the Ascendant Dragoneye.”
“She has no training,” Yuso countered. “No military background. She knows nothing.”
“It is not the first time a woman has been Naiso,” Dela said.
I looked up; did I hear that right? Another woman?
“Lady Eona is the emperor’s choice.” Vida’s voice was high-pitched with her audacity.
“Vida, know your place,” Solly snapped.
“Enough!” The emperor’s command dropped the troop back into crouched bows. “Lady Eona is my Naiso. That is the end of it.”
Slowly, Ryko lifted his head. “Your Majesty, please allow me to speak. As a member of your trusted guard, and as your loyal subject.”
Kygo hissed out a breath. “You are straining those bonds, Ryko.”
“Please, Your Majesty. It is for your own safety.” Ryko glanced at me, the hostility in his eyes like a blow to the chest.
Kygo nodded. “What is it?”
“Lady Eona cannot be trusted to bring you the truth.”
“Ryko,” Dela whispered beside him. “No.”
Solly and Tiron raised their heads, tense and watchful. Vida stayed tightly tucked into her bow.
“Are you accusing Lady Eona of being a liar?” the emperor asked.
“Yes.”
Kygo nodded. “It is a fair accusation.”
I wove my fingers together, shunting all of my anguish into the painful pressure. Kygo did not trust me, after all. He must have realized I had lied to him last night.
“And one that Lady Eona has admitted herself,” he added. “That is all in the past.”
My tension eased. Kygo glanced back at me with a reassuring smile.
“But it is not just straight lies, Your Majesty.”
Ryko straightened from his bow. I glared at the islander. He had been told it didn’t matter. Yet he still pushed.
“It is more insidious than that,” he said. “It is half-truths and omissions—”
I took a step forward. This was not duty; this was plain malice.
“Ryko,” I said. “Stop it.”
His face did not even register my words. “—and even if she does give some truth, you cannot—”
My rage rose like a savage creature howling its freedom. It reached across to Ryko, clawing at his life force. I felt his heartbeat meld into mine, the quick rhythm of his rancor overwhelmed by my pounding fury. I had control of his Hua. I had control of him. The rush of energy drove me another step past the emperor.
Ryko’s eyes found mine. “No! You swore—”
It was