Join Iah, Lei, Nyima, Adela and their friends as they embark on a treasure hunt to uncover the secrets of the map found in the ancient ruins of Rios. But what they discover in Mina may lead them to regret ever finding the ancient tablet in the first...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
I watched as Eri covered Lei's entire body in healing water. He moved the cyan water up and down. As he did, a bit of color returned to Lei's skin.
"Will he be alright?" Yuzuki whispered as she walked over to us.
Serein smiled. "Me think so."
Eri laughed. "And what are you basing that on, little guy?"
His kid grinned. "A feeling."
His dad sighed. "Serein, you need to rely on more than just feelings. Sentimentalism is best when balanced with knowledge. Doing so will help you keep a steady mind."
I smiled. "Your dad has a point." I placed a hand on my chest. "The heart has the power to mislead us. There are people out there who would use the weaknesses in it to control you."
Nyima glanced at Iah as I said that. The prince was being tended to by his cousin. Not that there were any injuries on him. At least not physical ones.
Serein frowned. "Happened to Iah, no?"
I nodded as I recalled Ratmir's words. "Yes. He used his insecurities to take over his body. When he finally awoke to that fact, he struggled to take back control."
"I wonder what the council will do with him," Eri whispered.
I gasped. That was right. Iah would need to be put on trial like Lei was. Considering that one of the seven judges was his mom, she would need to recuse herself from the case. Lei's was nearly a tie. Without Iah's mom as the fifth vote against execution...
"Is there a way to keep it a secret?" Nyima asked before I could say a thing.
Eri lowered his eyes. "We could try, but that could make things worse."
Nyima clicked her tongue. "Then what do we do? Turn him over to his would-be executioners?"
"It's interesting to hear you say that, as you're the one most against abysmals in this group," Yuzuki said, averting her eyes.
Nyima curled her hands into fists. "If it were only Ratmir, I would gladly turn him over, but it's not. I..." She choked back tears. "I don't want Iah to die. It was bad enough learning that Lei got beaten by that jerk, Eien."
How would Iah respond in that situation? Eien's action was what helped convince the judges to let Lei live. I closed my eyes. On the surface, Iah might've appeared more composed than Lei, but on the inside was a raging storm. Today proved that for me.
"We should try to pick a better method for his case," Eri said. "If you'll like, I could represent him."
"That sounds good," I said.
Lei grunted as he began to stir.
"He's waking up! You did it, big bro!" Yuzuki said.
Eri gasped as Lei reached a hand toward him. His nephew-in-law smiled weakly. "Son, you're here," he said.
