Safaa laughed; a dry, mirthless thing. “Not good news, no. Disastrous news, to be more accurate. The humans have developed a new formula.”

“What’s so bad about that?” Genuine surprise coloured Shwaan’s voice. “They’re always developing new formulas. It’s all they ever do!” he said, in the tone of an indulgent parent humouring a rather witless child.

“A formula,” continued Safaa grimly, ignoring her brother. “For what they’re apparently calling ‘reinforced sifblades’. An enhanced version of the goddamned things, if reports are to be believed. Compared to these, regular sifblades would look like a child’s toys. Wakeen says they might be capable of killing five or six Aeriels at once, once they’ve been perfected.”

The thought of sif in any form sent an instinctive shudder down Shwaan’s spine, and he lifted himself into the air to conceal his reaction. His sister’s sharp gaze told him he hadn’t gotten away with it completely.

“I’m still not seeing the problem here,” he said finally, looking down at his sister. His silver wings were barely visible against the radiance of the Vaan sun, shining down dazzlingly over the roofless court. “Humans can develop whatever bauble catches their fancy. What does it matter to us? They’re on earth. We’re in Vaan. It’s not like they can reach us against our will. Unless you’re worried for Mother, that is,” he added slyly.

Safaa laughed bitterly. “More because of her than for her, but I suppose you could say that. I have it on good authority that Mother is planning to steal the formula for these enhanced sifblades, for her own purposes.”

“Steal sif?” Shwaan snorted. “And do what with it? Kill herself in the most uncomfortable way imaginable? What could she possibly hope to do with her prize?”

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“Nothing by herself, certainly. But quite a lot with…human assistance. Humans cannot enter Vaan without Aeriel help. But what if they had Aeriel help? Her help. Their help. Reivaa, Saekaa, Swaheer, Kafeen – the whole lot of them. What if Mother were to attack Vaan…with a human army? A human army wielding these enhanced sifblades.”

“And what human,” began Shwaan, a twinge of exasperation in his voice. “Pray tell, would agree to help her in this outrageous scheme, even if she were planning something so audacious? They hate her, remember? Hate all of us, because of her. That’s the entire reason we’re here now, and she’s not. Why in the name of Zeifaa would they willingly aid her?”

“Because they’re humans Shwaan,” Safaa said. A tinge of exhausted desperation coloured her tone. “And because she’s her. It’s been six centuries since we left. Generations have passed on earth since humans last saw an Aeriel that wasn’t some murderous, blood-thirsty fiend, like Reivaa and her ilk,” she spat. “Who knows what mortals think now and why they think it? Who knows what Mother can make them think, if she puts her mind to it. Rationality was never their strong suit to begin with. And manipulation was never her weak point. She had humans spying for her during the Rebellion, betraying and murdering their own kind to dance to her merry tunes. Do you doubt she can ensnare a few now, when the war is nothing more than a distant memory to them?”

“A few don’t make an army, though,” Shwaan pointed out, landing gracefully and flicking long, silvery locks out of his eyes.

“Humans are clannish creatures,” Safaa sighed. “You were too young to understand these things when we left earth. But she wouldn’t need to convince all of them, or even most of them. She would just need a few, the power-players so to speak, the leaders and the opinion-makers. The rest would fall in line, if they decided to follow her.”

Shwaan looked up, gazing directly at the blazing sun overhead, soaking in the rays, his eyes unblinking. “So you’re saying she’s planning to attack us. Attack Vaan. Using these enhanced sifblades. With an army of humans.”

“I’m saying it is a possibility. One that is becoming more likely by the day. And I’m saying we can’t afford to sit around, waiting for Mother to make her next move, whatever that might be.”

“What do you need me to do then?”