Azul opened his mouth, but no answer came out.
"No!" Mera snapped. "For God's sake, no, Azul!" His hands clenched into fists. "They'll be enslaved. The lucky ones might survive. The unlucky ones..." He swallowed hard. "The unlucky ones won't."
Azul stared at him in silence. "The Devourers don't care about us," Mera continued. "They don't care about our children, our elders, or our homes. To them, we're nothing more than prey."
The young prince lowered his head. His hands trembled. To be honest, he wanted to argue, he wanted to tell Mera that there had to be another way, maybe a better way.
However, deep down, he knew his brother wasn't lying. Another violent tremor shook the ground beneath them and the palace walls groaned.
Somewhere in the distance, people were screaming. "They're here! The Devourers! The Devourers are here!"
"Listen to me, Azul," Mera said as he grabbed both of his shoulders. "I know you're scared. I am too."
