Tunner was quiet for a long time, and it was hard to tell what he was thinking. Finally, he walked over to a bench and sat down.
The wood creaked under his weight. He looked at Lylia with what could have been pity.
"I get why you came to me," he said, sounding calmer now. "You're afraid."
"You saw something horrible happen, and now you're running away here for some help, but Lylia, think about what you're saying."
"You want me to leave Ironhaven, abandon my family without protection, and go to Meridian immediately just because someone told me to?"
"I didn't run away," Lylia said, her voice shaking a little. "Lady Rosalina told me to go! She told me to do something!"
"Then finish it somewhere else," Tunner said. "Meridian has many Royal Knights."
"It has the king's personal guard, magical weapons, and defensive walls that have been there for hundreds of years."
