Portraits revealed through your current reading position.
The Sovereign who deduces the Ash Lord's hand behind the kidnapping, humbles herself to beg Lyria's forgiveness, and readies for a political storm.
Her son Pax recovered and flying home, Mustang turns to the war beneath the war. In council with Theodora and Daxo, she reasons that the Syndicate was hired—by the Ash Lord, who cannot beat her legions and so strikes at her Senate before the peace vote she means to veto (fearing losing six-to-seven with Caraval and the Coppers). She admits Darrow was right: the kidnapping happened because she was weak, because she let the Vox chase him away.
Exhausted and bloodshot after days without sleep, she does what no Sovereign should: she kneels before the Red girl Lyria and asks forgiveness for the Republic's failure to protect her family, shedding her power to stand as one grieving mother before another. She secures Lyria as a Senate witness—granting Liam's care and eyesight in return—and warns that this crisis is only 'the first breath' of a coming storm.
A Gold woman in a plain tunic, tawny-gold braids with loose strands, bloodshot eyes and heavy bags after days without sleep; the Augustus lion ring and iron wolf ring on her hands.
Sovereign of the Republic and Pax's mother; the ruler who names the Ash Lord's hand and humbles herself to win a Red's forgiveness and voice.
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