Tale of Reverence VII

I hurried back to the eight trees and pleaded with my gods once again. But when I told them I'd seen Chyrlathyn, confidence seemed to drain from them.
How could they give up so easily? Yes, the Sileneans had demonstrated the power of their gods. But we still had to fight. We could not allow the Heartlands to be wiped out.
I begged them to understand this. Atia and Volnir were still on my side, and in the end, they reached a compromise: they would first talk to Chyrlathyn, and if that failed, then they would fight. Zyla was the only one opposed. I looked at her, and it seemed as though she had already seen how this would end.
The gods went their separate ways to ready themselves for what was to come. Zyla and Narion approached me, and Zyla requested that when the time came, I would be there to see the negotiations. One of Narion's dragons would stay with me to take me away if necessary. She made the intention quite clear: if the negotiations were not favorable, I was not to return to my village, to the scholars of Kausan, or to any government. I was to leave the Heartlands immediately and bring my observations to the world.
I agreed to this--how could I not? And I waited for the day to come. Ykona, I'd heard, went to the scholars of Kausan to put into place a failsafe. What that was, I do not know.