– Father!" young Sylvia, Lamar's daughter, burst into the throne room in a whirlwind. Her beautiful red eyes burned with indignation. – This has gone too far! The men have surrounded Ruwann! They stand beneath our walls, ready to wipe us off the face of the earth!
– I know that," he replied tiredly, lifting his head and looking at his daughter. – But do not lose hope: soon we will find out what prevents us from using magic, and we will drive these mortals away from Røvann, then we will regain our lands, and then we will rush into Kaldwind like a bloody tornado. The people will pay for every life taken from my subjects.
– Father, do you hear yourself? – Sylvia said quietly. She walked over to her father, knelt down in front of them, and took his palm in hers. In her nineteen years she knew that pride was the worst counselor. – I beg… I beg you: go to the king of men and ask for peace.....
– Never! Sylvia, my daughter… You know they are not worthy of it.
– Unworthy or not… It doesn't matter!" Sylvia stroked his hand and smiled bitterly: "Now is not the time to hold on to our pride and former greatness. Soon enough, the humans will attack, and we won't be able to repel them and defend ourselves. You know that.
Lamar turned his face away from her and said nothing.
– Father? – The girl called softly again.
– There is nothing we can do now," he said in a confident tone. – Let them attack. Soon their defense against our magic will fall, and we will destroy them. We will wipe out every human being, down to the last infant, and turn their land into a desert.
Sylvia knew her proud father's temperament, and she foresaw that he would respond to her request for peace with the enemy in this way. But she did not lose hope, because she knew: if he did not compromise his pride, the race of demons will be exterminated and will be just a story, just a terrible tale that people will scare their naughty children.
– You've been saying that since the war began, but we've never found out what secret the humans are keeping and how they stole magic from us," she said softly.
– Go to your chambers," Lamar ordered her instead of answering: his daughter's words, so true, were burning his mind with hot coals.
– Father, go to the king of men. Go before they attack…" the girl began, but her father released his palm from her hand, rose abruptly from his throne, and hurried out of the hall.