Green Wild (Thrones of the Firstborn Book 2) by Chrysoula Tzavelas

you’re here right now.”
    “I—I—I,” stuttered Ripper, his eyes round as she closed on him, moving deliberately into his personal space. He stumbled backward, giving into the guidance of his friend, and Master Camerind took his place.
    “Calm yourself, Lady,” said the Master, that amusement still in place. “Are you suggesting our university students are responsible for how clarity is used in your city?”
    “I’m suggesting—” Kiar took a deep breath and tried to calm herself, suddenly aware of the charged atmosphere “I’m suggesting you get out of here.”
    “I thought you wanted to talk about clarity,” said Master Camerind, with the insolence of a man totally willing to provoke an international incident if the opportunity presented itself.
    Kiar wasn’t ready to start one. “Get out. Take Ripper here with you. Don’t come back.”
    Master Camerind bowed and gave her a happy little smile, like she’d just agreed with him. Then he stepped backward, and made a show of closing the door as he and his companions left.
    Kiar turned around and leaned on the door, taking a deep breath, marveling that Twist had slept through the confrontation. She’d never been so angry in her life. When the Blighter had murdered the King, she’d been shocked and horrified. But Vassay infuriated her. She’d been ready to physically throw the Vassay faction out herself.
    And she wasn’t the only one. Lisette casually held both of Tiana’s hands, and Cathay stood with one hand half-outstretched, ready to unleash one of his cats. Both of them had wide eyes.
    Lisette sighed and loosened her grip on Tiana’s hands. She muttered something about the phantasmagory before saying, “Thank you, Kiar.”
    “They would have deserved whatever happened,” said Cathay, slowly sitting back down again. He covered his eyes tiredly.
    “Master Camerind, maybe,” Lisette said. “But Ripper is just an innocent idiot.”
    Cathay snorted. “I don’t believe that. The leader, what was his name? He wouldn’t bring anybody stupid on this kind of trip.”
    Lisette waved a hand. “Skill and sense aren’t always connected. I’m sure he’s good at what he does. And I bet he’s a treasure to anybody looking for an excuse to stick his nose in the wrong place at the wrong time.” She pushed Tiana back into a chair again and turned to Kiar. “You’re very tired, Kiar. You need to get some rest.”
    Her light, airy tone hadn’t changed at all, so it took Kiar a moment to realize Lisette spoke to her. She shook her head. “Tiana, we should make them leave the Citadel entirely.”
    Tiana blinked and looked over at Kiar. “That’s for the Magister to decide, isn’t it?”
    “Master Camerind practically admitted Vassay was behind an attempt to assassinate you! And they’re trying to push the Citadel into giving them more plepanin.”
    “I wish he’d admitted it,” said Tiana candidly. “But he didn’t, not really.” She hesitated and added sadly, “And they could have stopped. The men who attacked me, I mean. They wouldn’t have started if they hadn’t hated me so much.”
    Cathay darted to Tiana’s side to comfort her. Kiar looked away, at Twist. She knelt, felt his brow and cheek again, shook her head, and stretched her emanations to move him to a couch. His feet flopped over the end. She found a washcloth and filled a bowl of warm water from the kettle and got started sponging filth off his face and hands. He looked so young when he slept, like he was barely older than her. She supposed, from the perspective of an ancient like the Magister, he was. He’d only been a youth when he inherited the post of Royal Wizard and started teaching her. His gift for skipping put such burdens on him.
    “We can’t leave the Citadel to them,” she finally said. “If you’re going to leave the Citadel to go after this Firstborn light, I need to stay here, or they have to go.”
    Tiana only said, “We have to fight the Blight.