Page 351 of Elemental Becoming

I’ve just finished telling him everything—my conversation with Kieran, what Valen and I uncovered, and the plan to travel to the Air Clan region.

Thane’s fingers tap lightly against the armrest, his attention fixed on the fire.

“Oryn Strathir won’t be easy to deal with,” he says, not for the first time.

I glance at him. “You’ve met with him often?”

He nods, looking at me. “Several times. Whenever Air and Fire are forced to sit at the same table, it’s usually him across from me.”

I study his face. “What’s he like?”

Thane’s lips press into a thin line.

“Measured. Always. He doesn’t waste words or time. Strathir listens more than he speaks, and when he does speak, it’s with purpose. He doesn’t posture or provoke. The Lord of the Air Clan plays the long game and always has. And he remembers everything, especially grievances.”

His gaze settles on the fire again.

“He’s dangerous in a different way than most. The kind of quiet power you don’t see until it’s already shaped the board.”

I take a sip of my wine. “He sounds careful.”

“He is,” Thane says. “And calculating. The kind of man who always knows more than he says. You never quite know where he stands until it’s too late to change your footing.”

“And how does he feel about the Fire Clan?” I ask.

Thane’s fingers curl around the arms of his chair.

“Publicly, neutral. Privately, I think he views us the way much of the realm does—dangerous, dominant, and too accustomed to getting our way. Especially over the last fifty years.”

He leans forward, resting his forearms on his knees.

“The tension really started after the last major trade dispute. The Fire Clan imposed levies on elemental resource exports—minerals, forge materials. It hit the Air Clan hard. They retaliated by restricting access to some of their higher-altitude sky passages and airlift routes. Nearly grounded half our border patrols for a month.”

“And then there was the summit incident,” I say, the memory surfacing faintly. Travelers passing through my village had carried stories about it from the capital.

Thane nods. “An Air Clan emissary accused a Fire Clan delegate of sabotage. There was never any proof, but by then it didn’t matter. The accusation had already done the damage.”

His mouth tightens.

“Strathir didn’t speak to our High Council for nearly a year afterward. When he finally did, he made sure nobody forgot why.”

“And now we’re about to walk into his territory asking for cooperation.”

Thane’s mouth lifts into a humorless smile. “Not asking. Navigating. There’s a difference.”

I shift in my chair, the weight of what we’re walking into settling deeper. “Do you trust him?”

He’s silent for a moment.

“I respect him,” Thane finally says. “But trust? No. He protects his people above all else. If what we bring threatens their stability, he won’t hesitate to turn us away. Or use it to his advantage.”

“So we tread carefully.”

“Exactly. Every word, every gesture, every silence matters with Strathir.” Thane nods once, as though settling the decision in his own mind. “We don’t go in as warriors. We go in as historians. Respectfully. And we let him see that we’re not there to shift power. We’re there to find the truth.”

I exhale, the fire’s warmth brushing against my skin.

“And what about Kieran?” I ask. “He has no idea what his family may have been involved in.”