“What did Praiton tell you the war was about?” she asked. “How did they justify it to you?” Deya’s mouth parted, the question taking her aback. “I . . . They had always told us that it was to preserve the worship of the Mother Goddess and our way of life,” Deya admitted, the shame making it difficult to meet Val’s gaze. “They told us that the other kingdoms did not worship like we did. That it was a threat to the balance of the realm.”
