"Anything, Ella. Anything you can do to help us take the tiered city."
Ella thought about Shani, anxious to free her people, and Miro, desperate to secure his southern border. By helping the prince she would be helping to hasten the end of the war. "I have an idea," she said. "I'll give it some thought. Give me time."
The prince smiled. "That is all I ask. Come," he gestured, "let us drink wine together, and you can tell me who Ella is, so I may separate her from the woman, Evora, you said you were."
He led her to the table, seating Ella before seating himself. He poured the wine slowly, the thick, red liquid dark and fragrant, igniting Ella's senses before she'd even tasted it.
"Salute, I greet you." The prince held up his glass.
"Salute," Ella said, echoing him, not sure if this was the correct response.
The wine tasted spicy, both warm and tart, like sweet prunes soaked in lemon and mellowed over a hundred years. Ella felt it slip down her throat, thinking that it suited this man.
"You sealed the Wondhip Pass?" the prince asked.
Ella nodded.
"How did you move the stones?" He shook his head. "What does Altura's lore have to do with moving large objects?"
"It wasn't enchantment," Ella said. "I learned a few things from an old Halrana animator."
"And this bridge that saved your people… an incredible feat."
Ella stayed silent, remembering the soldiers and refugees: those who had not been saved at the Bridge of Sutanesta that day. She remembered Amber.
"Your father is High Lord of Raj Hazara?" Ella asked, changing the subject.
"Kalif, but yes, that is what you would call it. He is an old man, Ella, and I fear he may not have much longer for this world. He tells me I am strong enough to lead the tribes when he is gone, but I have doubts."
"You?" Ella smiled. "Look at where you are. How many men do you command? Your army must be as powerful as the imperial legion, to have taken Petrya so quickly."
"Such numbers are hard to control," the prince said. "As long as I keep them busy fighting, yes, they will do as I command; but what about when there is peace? What then?"
"I think that's the question everyone is asking," Ella said. "The Tingaran Empire is dead. Even if we can defeat the Primate, what comes next? Who will lead?"
Prince Ilathor smiled. "Such intelligence. It is good to have you with me again."
Ella sipped at her wine to disguise her blush.
Yet her thoughts now turned serious. This man held the fate of Shani's people in his hands. She owed it to her friend to do her best to help her people.
"Prince Ilathor, there is a woman with me, a Petryan."
"Ah, yes. The elementalist. I have been meaning to ask you about her. To whom does she owe her allegiance?"
Ella hesitated. "It's a little more complicated than that." She took a deep breath. "Your Highness, not all Petryans were hungering for this war. Many only hate Altura and Halaran because that's what their parents have told them to do, and most don't hate at all, they just want to raise their families in peace and prosperity. The world of leadership and the administration of the realm is a distant thing for most."
Ella thought of her brother. "Sometimes there are leaders who work to do good in the world," she said. "Brave men whose values are more important to them than doing what they think people want and expect of them. Then there are other leaders. They come to power because they inherited it, or because their supporters are more vocal, more violent, and more intimidating than those who just want to live their lives. The Petryan High Lord and his supporters are such men, ruling with fear, filled with hate. Hate is a disease, but it's a disease that can be cured. The greatest factor is belief that it can be cured, and this is what makes what you are doing such an opportunity. Please, Prince Ilathor, give the Petryans a chance to believe."
The prince stayed silent throughout Ella's speech, a thoughtful expression on his face.
Finally, he spoke. "May I ask you, Enchantress Ella, why you think I am here? Is it to conquer for the sake of conquering? To give my barbarian hordes some place to pillage? Perhaps to pay for all of that construction at Agira Lahsa?"
Ella opened her mouth to protest.
"No," Ilathor said forcefully. "I have eyes to see, and ears to listen. I know that the world is changing. This disease you speak of is an apt metaphor. I have treated the Petryans well, and I have heard their complaints. They do not know who to replace their High Lord with, but that is their concern, not mine. When we take Tlaxor there will be those who fight against us, and those who rise up against their oppressors and fight with us. We are distributing the message, and the message is clear. Petrya will be free."
Ella knew the prince was anything but a liar. As she heard the conviction in his voice she felt closer to him than she ever had before.