The Blood Traitor by Lynette Noni | Full Audiobook | The Final Battle Between Love and Power Begins

Clarion Books and Harper Audio present The Blood Trader by Lynette Non, performed by Janette Ilage.

A note before we begin: To see the maps, download the accompanying enhancement PDF from your audiobook provider or go directly to www.harpercallins.com/pages/bloodtrader.

Dear reader, this series has included mature themes from the very beginning, but given the ending of The Gilded Cage, the journey Ka must now undertake is more challenging than anything she has yet faced. Please be aware that while I've attempted to represent the themes in this book with as much care as possible, the following pages may contain triggers for some readers.

Love,

Lynette Non.

For anyone who has ever wanted to give up, but chose to keep going, to keep trying, to keep hoping, to keep surviving, this book is for us.

Prologue.

The woman was crying. Tears ran like rivers down her face, dripping off her chin and soaking her tunic. She had to stay silent. No one could learn of her sorrow because no one would understand. Wrapping her arms around her knees, she stared into the darkness of her tent, praying to the long-forgotten gods, begging for their forgiveness, even knowing that she didn't deserve it, could never deserve it, not after what she'd done, not after what she'd created. A sob buckled her body. "I made a mistake," she mouthed soundlessly. "I want to take it back. I need to take it back."

That was how the man found her, drenched in tears, rocking with anguish. He stilled at the entrance to her tent, then rushed over to kneel before her, taking her trembling hands in his own. "What happened, my dear? Are you ill? Hurt?"

Her watery eyes locked with his as she croaked out, "I was wrong."

He frowned. "Wrong about what?"

More tears trickled down her cheeks. "Everything."

The man didn't hide his confusion or his fear. "You're unwell," he said. "I'll ask Zelica to come and heal."

"No!" the woman cried, jerking her hands back, her tension flooding the tent.

The man sank onto his haunches, watching her closely. Softly, he repeated, "What happened?"

For a long moment, the woman said nothing. When she finally answered, her words came in a painful-sounding rasp. "Celica killed them. One wave of her hand and she snapped their necks."

The man paled. "Who?"

"The villagers. Anyone she walked past. Anyone who looked at her wrong. Anyone who wouldn't join us." The woman swallowed. "Everyone thinks it was me, but I—" She shook her head, then whispered. "I knew her power was growing, but this... I never meant for this to happen. I never wanted this. She promised she wouldn't use it again. Not after last time. When she—when I—"

"You stopped her last time," the man said, his tone soothing but firm. "You kept her from killing the prince and his guard. They're alive and well."

"That guard lost her hand. She would have lost more if you hadn't freed her from the magic binding her, and the crown prince would be dead." Quietly, he noted, "Not so long ago, that was what you wanted. One less Valentis to deal with."

"I didn't realize," the woman shook her head again. "He's just a boy, younger even than Terrell. When I saw him, I—" She closed her eyes and repeated, "He's just a boy."

"And yet his family stands in the way of your goals. He stands in the way."

"There are other ways to take the throne. Ways that won't hurt anyone else I love in the process. I can't." She choked on a sob. "I can't lose anyone else. Not like this."

"She'll kill herself if she keeps using it for harm. The magic will destroy her from the inside out."

Choosing his words carefully, the man said, "You can't blame yourself for Zelica's actions. Her choices are her own."

"You're wrong, Galchric. Everything she does is because of me," the woman said, her thoughts turning inward as she recalled what had transpired mere hours ago. Bones snapping, necks breaking, bodies dropping, men, women, and children all dead in an instant. "Everything she knows, I taught her. This is my fault."

A weighty pause fell before the man, Galdrich, asked, "What are your orders, my queen?"

Only then did Tilda Carantine's emerald eyes lock with his, silent understanding passing between her and her closest friend, her most trusted adviser, as she whispered her answer, as she begged for his help. And then, with their heads bent together, they came up with a plan.

Present day

Chapter 1.

Kea quarantine was on fire. Flames scorched her body, and blood boiled inside her veins, causing her to moan and thrash and shove at the hands holding her down. "She's burning up," came a gruff male voice. "Get her some water."

The smell of vomit overwhelmed Kea's senses, close enough to make her realize it was hers, causing her to gag anew. She was sick. No, not sick. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew she wasn't suffering from an illness. A haze of memories came to her: blue gold eyes and kiss-swollen lips, deadly shadows and broken glass, caramel dust and iron bars. But then her thoughts scattered, the images seared from her mind, the unrelenting heat, all that she knew, all that she was.

"Gods, she's a mess," said a female voice, full of disgust. A wooden tumbler was forced between Kea's lips. Water trickled down her parched throat and sloshed over her chin.

"She is," agreed the man. "And she's your mess. I don't got time for the dead." The hands holding Kea disappeared. She tried to sit up, but flames twisted around her torso. Her eyelids fluttered open for the briefest of seconds, but she could see no fire. It was her. The inferno was inside her.

"She's not dead," argued the woman.

"Give it time," said the man, his voice further away, as if he was leaving. "She's had too much of the good stuff to survive without it. Best leaving her to her fate. Or give her a mercy killing if you can stomach it."

A snort. "I doubt you'll have any issues doing that. You're the prison healer," the woman said angrily. "It's your job to help her."

Another snort from the man. "No one can help her now."

Kea barely heard his departing footsteps over the pounding in her ears. Her heart was beating unnaturally fast, dangerously fast. Part of her knew she should be concerned about her state, but that part couldn't do anything. Couldn't even think beyond the all-consuming agony blazing throughout her body.

A stream of curse words penetrated her pain, followed by a calloused hand snaking behind her neck and hauling her roughly upward, the tumbler pressing to her lips once more. "Drink," ordered the woman, forcing water into Ka's mouth. "If you want to live, you need to drink."

Kea tried to follow the command, choking on the liquid, all the while wondering why. If this was living, surely she was better off dead. A mercy killing, the man had said. Kea wanted that, a quick end to the flaming hell, the gaping hole in her heart, gone forever. A hole she knew had nothing to do with her current state. Blue gold eyes flashed across her mind once more, the fleeting image spiking a different kind of torture before it was gone again.

"Damn it, Kea, drink," came the angry female voice. But Ka couldn't drink anymore. Shivers began to rack her frame. Fire roaring with ice. Sweat coated her skin even as she trembled from the sudden cold. But when a blanket was thrown over her, she whimpered and begged for it to be taken away. "Too hot, too cold, too much."

"Please," she rasped out, unsure what or who she was asking.

"Please, you don't die like this," the woman said firmly. "Not like this." But Kea didn't believe her because she wanted it to end. All of it. And when she could no longer stomach the torment, she welcomed the blissful embrace of oblivion.

When Ka opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was the snake. The room around her was spinning, the poorly lit space full of empty pallets and threadbare blankets. A familiar acrid smell tugging at her memory. She was in the infirmary, whispered some distant part of her mind. Zalandov's infirmary. A warning bleeded through her, but she couldn't summon any real concern. Not with the taste of caramel coating her tongue. Not when the snake opened its mouth to speak.

"Snap out of it!" the serpent hissed, shaking her roughly. It sounded a lot like the woman who had shoved water down her throat. Kea giggled and reached out to touch it. Her hand was slapped away. "You need to follow me down to the tunnels or they're going to kill you. Are you listening? If you don't work, you'll be dead."

At the snake's urgency, Ka sat up, her head lolling to the side. Through blurry eyes, she saw that she wore a soiled gray tunic. The smell of her own sick making her nose wrinkle. "Gods."

"You have no idea what's happening, do you?" muttered the snake. It coiled around Ka's back and pulled her to her feet. "They dosed you with too much angel dust on your journey here, and now you can't function without it. The serpent dragged her through the infirmary. I managed to get my hands on some, enough to help you through the next few days. We have to wean you off it slowly or your organs will shut down. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Talking snakes," Ka said drearily, stumbling as she was towed out into the sunshine. She raised her hand and grinned at the rainbow colors all around her. "Pretty day."

The snake spat a nasty word, then said through clenched teeth, "Ka! It's me, Cresta. Pull yourself together."

Ca, not a snake then, but close. Ca Voss. The name elicited feelings of resentment and fear in Ka, accompanied by images of a muscular young woman with matted red hair, hazel eyes, and a serpent tattoo inked down the side of her face. She was a warrior at Zalandov. Someone Ka had known for over 5 years. Someone who had openly despised Ka for those 5 years. Someone who was the leader of the prison rebels, loyal to Ka's sister, Zelica Carine, the now queen of Eveon, sitting atop a stolen throne after having taken everything from Ka. Everything and everyone.

"Bad snake," Ka mumbled, trying to free herself from Cresta's arm. "Go away."

"Stop that," Cresta said, tightening her grip and guiding Ka off the gravel onto the dead grass, heading toward the domed stone building at the center of the grounds. "You won't last the day without me."

"Will too." Kea stumbled again as she navigated the dried clumps underfoot, the colors continuing to swirl in her vision, bouncing off the limestone perimeter walls surrounding them in the distance.

"Or won't matter. Do you even hear yourself?" Ca asked as they skirted a large crater dug out of the earth. Something that snagged Ka's hazy attention. It took effort to summon the memory. How the watchtower had exploded and crumbled down on itself. There was nothing left of it now but the ghost of where it once stood.

"Mott," Kea breathed the name of the man who had destroyed it. A moment of clarity gripping her thoughts. "Where's Mott?"

"Dad," Cresta said flatly. "By the warden's own hand right after the riot, the one you used to escape."

Sorrow touched Kea's chest as she thought of the morgue worker who had cared for her and helped her survive the trials, but she couldn't hold on to it for long before it vanished like the wind. She shook her head, trying to clear the spinning colors, trying to remember what the snake had said. "No one escaped Zindv."

A manic laugh slipped out. "Not even when they do."

Cresta was kept from responding by the approach of more gray-clad prisoners moving stiffly across the dead field, their faces lined with fatigue as they too headed toward the domed building. "You need to get it together before we reach the tunnels or the guards will send you to the abyss," Cresa warned under her breath.

"They might not even bother with that. Don't care," Kea mumbled, dragging her feet.

The crier's grip turned painful as she hissed. "You once told me I was strong and powerful and I could survive anything. That I owed it to myself to find a reason to live. Now I'm telling you the same."

Kea Meridan slumping in Cresa's hold.

"Kea," said. "That's not my name."

"It is. It's not. You are who you choose to be," Cresta declared in a hard voice. "You are what you choose to be. And right now you need to choose to live. You can figure out the rest later."

Even in her sorry state, the words left a mark on Ka. The idea that anything was her choice was laughable. For 10 years in Zalandov, she lived by the choices of others, fighting to survive day after day. When she'd finally tasted freedom, the decisions she'd made had done nothing but lead her right back to where she'd started. After losing more than she'd ever imagined possible, the hole in her heart gave a pang. Not even the angel dust could mask it completely.

"Make no mistake, I don't care about you," Ca went on mercilessly. "But you saved my life once and because of that I owe you a blood debt. So you're going to survive today and you're going to survive tomorrow and you're going to keep on surviving until those god-damned drugs are out of your system. After that you can decide what the hell you want to do with yourself. Live or die. You'll be out of my hands. But until then you'll listen to me. And I'm telling you to buck up and prepare yourself for the worst day of your life."

Ka was so distracted by Cresta's speech that she hadn't realized they'd arrived at the domed building and were lining up with the other inmates, all readying to descend the ladder shaft down into the tunnels. Struggling to maintain a steady stream of thought, Kea murmured, "Why are you here?"

Ca made a frustrated sound. "I just told you."

Kea shook her fuzzy head. She must not have been given the same amount of angel dust that had kept her mostly unconscious for the last few weeks. The lower dosage affording her enough lucidity to ask. Her words heavily slurred. "No, why aren't you in the quarry?"

There was a moment of hesitation before Cresta answered. "Rook changed my work allocation after the riot. He didn't like that I'd survived for so long. So now I'm a tunneler facing an exhausting and inevitable death. 6 months. Christa would have a year at the most." That was the fate of a Zalandov tunneler. A fate Ka shared now that she was no longer the prison healer. She should have been terrified, but she couldn't bring herself to care. For some reason, she didn't think the angel dust was to blame.

"Next," came a bored-sounding male voice, causing Ka to look up from the dead grass to see that they'd reached the mouth of the building, where a pair of guards were ushering prisoners toward a set of ladders poking out from a rectangular hole in the earth.

"I know you're messed up right now," Cresta said urgently as the inmates in front of them disappeared into the shaft. "But whatever you do, don't let go of the ladders." At the blank look on Kea's face, she hurried to add, "Think of something important to you. The boy, the one with the stutter. You love him. Hold on for him."

Tip. A foggy memory of the freckle-faced, gap-toothed boy blazed across Kea's mind, causing the pain in her heart to throb anew.

"Next," repeated the guard, waving toward Kea and Cresta.

"One rung at a time," Cresta said. "Do it for the boy. I'll be right beside you."

Kea nodded dully, her head feeling too heavy for her shoulders, but at the same time, impossibly light. She tripped over her own feet as Cresta prodded her forward, the guards watching with amusement. They knew who she was, how far she'd fallen. They were enjoying this. Fire rose within her, but it didn't last, the angel dust sweeping it away by the time her hands reached for the metal rungs.

There were two ladders bolted side by side, and as Kea began to descend the first, Cresta kept her promise and remained with her all the way down to the first platform, then onto the next set of ladders. Down they stepped, rung after rung, platform after platform, with Cresta murmuring quiet encouragement. Kea watched her hands as if they belonged to someone else, feeling nothing, only vaguely aware that she was moving downward, that her muscles were burning, that the air was becoming stale and chilled. Tip, she would hold on for Tip, even if after what he'd discovered, after what she'd done, he surely hated her now.

An agonized sound left Ka and Cresta looked over in alarm, but then they stepped off the final ladder, causing relief to flood the other girl's expression. Safe? They were safe. But they also weren't, because before Ka could catch her breath, she was being pushed down an aluminum-lit tunnel after a line of prisoners, all shuffling along like ants. A distant feeling of panic hit her. The claustrophobia, familiar but muted by the angel dust. The last time she'd been here, she hadn't been with other prisoners. But she hadn't been alone either. Blue gold eyes, a hovering magical flame, a perfect snow blossom. This time, the drugs didn't force the image away. Kea did. She couldn't think of what had happened then. She couldn't think of him.

A sloshing sound caught her attention and drew her gaze downward. The earth turning to mud, then shallow water, becoming knee-deep the further they walked. When the prisoners were ordered to halt by one of the supervising guards, Kea found that a pickaxe had been shoved into her hand somewhere along the journey. She tested the weight, waving it before her like a sword. Calvin had shown her how to do that, training her with a wooden practice blade. Kea closed her eyes and forced that memory away, too, allowing the angel dust to subdue her reignited pain. She dropped her arms, trying to remember where she was, why she was there, what she had to do. Tunneling. She was a tunneler now, tasked with digging for water and creating passageways for it to flow into the aquifer. It was the worst of Zalandov's work allocations. The hardest, both physically and mentally, the quickest death.

"Think of the boy," Cresta commanded from Kea's side. "Don't stop thinking about him." The sheer authority in her voice had Ka obeying, and when the guards ordered them to begin digging into the hard limestone walls, Tip's face remained front and center in her thoughts.

Kea swung the iron axe into the unyielding rock over and over again. The movement jarred her arms. The sound set her teeth on edge. She welcomed the burn that grew with every thrust, her vision turning hazy as dust clouded around her, her hearing overwhelmed by the clash of hundreds of axes meeting solid stone. She was vaguely aware of Cresta working at her side, reminding her about Tip, telling her to keep digging. She couldn't stop. If she stopped, the guards would come. They were patrolling freely, whips and batons at the ready.

"Don't give them an excuse," Cresa told her. "Don't stop. Don't stop. Don't stop."

There was blood on Ka's ax, dripping down the wooden handle from split blisters and cracked calluses. She felt the pain, but it was muted, just like everything else around her. Until it wasn't, because as seconds turned to minutes and minutes turned to hours, the angel dust's effects began to fade. It started with a low, persistent headache at the base of her skull. Next came the taste of copper on her tongue, followed by a tremor in her fingers, making it difficult to keep hold of her blood-slicked ax. When the guards finally announced the end of the workday, Ka was chilled despite the arduous labor and finally cognizant enough to realize that what she'd survived was nothing compared to what was ahead.

"I feel awful," Kea moaned as they waited their turn to climb back up to the surface.

"I'll bet," Cresta murmured. "Is there anything in that infirmary of yours that might help?"

"It's not my infirmary anymore," Kea replied, swaying from exhaustion. Her freedom from Zalandov had granted her access to regular food and exercise, and that combined with the numbing effects of the angel dust had given her enough strength to endure the day's hard labor. But she was feeling it now, every part of her hurting. Her thoughts, however, were clearer than they'd been for weeks. So she battled to keep her focus, rattling off a list of plants, all known to ease withdrawal symptoms.

"The only way out is through," Cresa said sagely, brushing her twisted red locks away from her damp face. "I'll see what I can scrape together."

Kea mumbled a reply, unsure what words left her mouth as her chills grew and her body began to tremble. She couldn't remember climbing out of the tunnels, nor could she remember Cresta supporting her all the way to the dormitory building and dumping her unceremoniously on a pallet, dust and mud coating her skin, her tunic still stained with her own vomit. She had no idea how much time passed as she lay there shaking and sweating, her muscles aching, her bloodied palms now throbbing mercilessly.

"Give me your hands." Ca was back. Kea didn't know how long she'd been gone, or how long since she'd returned. Her snake tattoo was almost indistinguishable beneath a layer of grime. Wet slid across Kea's palms, eliciting a sharp sting. She tried to tug them back, but Crusta held firm. "You need to keep these clean or they'll get infected."

Kea stilled, the words echoing across her memory. She'd heard them before. She'd said them before. "You need to keep these clean or they'll get infected." Strong hands attached to a strong body. Tousled gold-brown hair. Perfect lips quirked into a knowing grin. Blue gold eyes dancing. The hole in Ka's heart tore open. The pain enough to halt her tremors, if only for a moment. But she wasn't in the infirmary right now. And he wasn't with her. Not this time. Never again.

"Swallow these," Ca ordered, reclaiming Ka's attention. She held out a fistful of thin green bulbs along with a mix of yellow and orange flowers and a lump of black charred wood. Kea didn't ask how Cresta had snuck into the infirmary's garden, nor did she dwell on how the charcoal must have been acquired from the crematorium, but as she shoved the offering into her mouth, grimacing at the texture of the chalky wood, she did say, "I didn't mention charcoal."

"You're not the first person I've seen through withdrawal," Cresta murmured, still cleaning Ka's hands. "It'll soak up the toxins in your blood."

Kea wanted to ask who else Ka had helped, but her torso spasmed with a stomach cramp, and she gasped, curling in on herself.

"You need to eat," Caes said. There was no warmth in her tone, no concern for Kea's well-being, just a statement of fact.

"I'll just—" Another spasm hit Ka, and she gritted her teeth. "Bring it up." Ca began arguing, but Ka didn't hear her. The cramping in her stomach turning violent enough to demand all of her attention. It would take time for the hashillow bulbs, tillify flowers, buttercrest petals, and charcoal to take effect, but even then their relief would be limited. If Cresta truly intended to wean Ka off the angel dust, then she was in for a rough night.

The next thing Kea knew, there was a piece of broth-soaked bread being pressed between her lips. Sweat dotted her forehead, her skin turning hot, then cold, then hot all over again. "No," she moaned, shifting her face away.

"You'll need energy to get through tomorrow," Caes said, shoving more bread into her mouth. "You can't survive on angel dust alone."

"Angel dust?" Kea gasped, half choking on the food, her voice raw and desperate. "Please, I need just a little."

Through blurry eyes, Kea saw Crest's face harden. "What you need is to eat, then to sleep. I'll give you more in the morning."

Denial had Ka shaking her head, her teeth rattling from the tremors controlling her body. "I need it now."

"Eat," Ca pushed more bread between Kea's lips. Kea gagged, but Ca clamped a hand over her mouth, making her swallow. "The charcoal should help you keep everything down," Ca said. "You're facing a mental battle as much as a physical one. You just have to be willing to fight."

Kea groaned as she was force-fed more bread. Cresta was unmoved, deaf to Kea's pleas, unwilling to provide even the smallest dose of angel dust to see her through the night. For hours they waged war against each other, with Ka wailing as her body shrieked for the slightest hint of relief.

"Would you shut her up?" We're trying to sleep here," grumbled the other prisoners, close enough to hear her suffering.

"Go cry to your mother," Cresa snapped back at them, ignoring their complaints, and KA's, too. But then, sometime in the middle of the night, Kea descended so far into her madness that she screamed loud enough to wake half the dormitory. "Give it to me! I need it! You have to give it to—"

Crest swore and slapped a hand over Kea's mouth, hauling her damp, shivering body off the pallet and past glaring, sleep-rumpled inmates painted in moonlight. She didn't stop until they stumbled into the darkened bathing chamber, where she dragged Kea beneath a shower head and turned on the icy spray. Gasping and sputtering, Ka tried to escape the water, but Cresta held her in place, becoming equally drenched in the process.

"Let me go!" Ka bellowed.

"I won't," Cresta gritted out, her grip unyielding. "Not until you calm the hell down."

Ka tried to fight her way free, but it was no use. Her body too weak to manage the barest of attempts. All too soon, she was panting and leaning against Cresta, the ex-corrier bearing most of her weight.

"Are you done?" Cresta demanded.

Ka could only nod, her strength gone, her spirit broken. The water turned off and then Ka was sliding to the ground beside Cresta. The two of them sat against the wall of the shower block, dripping and shivering, their labored breaths echoing into the darkness.

"You're a pain in the ass. You know that?" Cresa grunted. The words summoned an image of Calen, since he'd said the same thing to Kea more than once. Despite her heartache, Ka's lips quirked ever so slightly through chattering teeth. She croaked out, "You're not the first person to—to tell me that."

"I doubt I'll be the last."

"I'm sorry, Ka," she whispered. The freezing water had sobered her enough that she was appalled by her behavior, even if it had been the drugs making her act that way. "And thank you for helping me."

"We're not out of this yet," Cresa warned. "There's a long road ahead."

Kea knew that. And when she was through it, if she made it through, she would find a way to thank the ex-quarrier, even if Cresta was only repaying a debt.

"You said you've helped someone else through withdrawal," Kea said, relishing the cold that was keeping her thoughts clear. "Who was it?"

Cresta was quiet for long enough that Ka thought she wasn't going to answer, but in the darkness of the shower block, she eventually said, her voice barely audible, "When I was a child, long before Zalandov, my sister found a stash of angel dust and didn't realize what it was. She overdosed, nearly died. I didn't leave her side until she recovered."

"How old were you?"

"10," Cresta answered. "She was eight."

"So young. Your parents?"

"Things weren't good at home," Cresta said without emotion. "My sister had the gentlest soul of anyone I've ever met. But my father saw that as a weakness. He had no place for a meek child in his household. So he wiped his hands of her, caring little whether she lived or died. And my mother, she was too busy trying to survive my father. I was all my sister had." There was pain in Cresta's voice, though Ka could tell she was trying to hide it.

Through still chattering teeth, she asked, "What happened?"

"I got her through the overdose and then through the withdrawal. She stayed far away from angel dust after that."

"No," Ka said, rubbing her arms to generate heat. "What happened to your family?"

This time, Cresta's silence lasted longer. "I have no family. Not anymore."

Kea closed her eyes against the depth of feeling in those words. Ca had arrived at Zalandov over 5 years ago as a teenager, perhaps 16 years of age. Whatever had led her there, however, she'd lost her parents, her sister. There were too many missing pieces for Kea to have any insight into the exor's past.

"How—story time is over?" Cresta said, her voice hard enough to remind Kea that they weren't friends. Until recently, even presently, they were closer to enemies than anything else. "Try to sleep."

Kea blinked into the darkness of the shower block. "Here? You can't go back into the dormitory."

"Another episode like that, and the guards will come investigate," Cresta said, shifting into a more comfortable position.

"But it's freezing." Even as Kea said it, warmth began to flood her again, her withdrawal symptoms returning now that the shock of the icy water had faded. And while the shower had been frigid, the late spring air was tempered enough. Once she was dry, it wouldn't be too awful. She'd slept in worse places, but never while being weaned off an addictive substance.

"Sleep," Cresta ordered, ignoring Ka's complaint. "While you still can."

Kea wanted to argue, wanted to ask the million questions she had while her mind was clear, wanted to bask in her current clarity before she succumbed to more angel dust come morning. But Cresta was right. She needed to sleep while her body would allow it, gathering her strength to get through all that was ahead, both mentally and physically. And so, clenching her jaw against the hot and cold sensations streaking beneath her skin, she closed her eyes and allowed exhaustion to pull her under.

The next three days were some of the worst of Ka's life. The following four nearly as awful, and another week after that almost as unpleasant. Through it all, Cresta honored her debt and remained by Kea's side, giving her just enough angel dust every morning to survive the workday, less each day, and sleeping beside her in the shower block every night. Often, Ka would thrash and scream, fighting the exor for all she was worth. Equally often, Cresta had to hold back Ka's hair as she purged her stomach. Even the charcoal lost its effectiveness as the angel dust ran low, with there being no relief from the nausea, the stomach cramps, the sweating, and the chills. Every inch of Ka's body ached, not just from her repeated toiling down in the tunnels—something she was barely aware of doing. Her hours underground, a haze of mud and dust and pain, but also from battling against her very self night after night without end. It was too much, too hard, too much. Every day she wished for death, her agony too great to bear. And not just the agony of her withdrawal. As the drugs began to leave her system, the memories began to invade. The things she'd witnessed, the things she'd done, and the people she'd done them to. It was a different kind of pain. The worst kind of pain. The kind she would never heal from. The kind she didn't deserve to heal from. And so she shoved the memories away and embraced the torture of her withdrawal until, 2 weeks after her return to Zalandov, her tremors began to ease. Her nausea began to settle. Her desperation began to fade. It was over. But the worst was still to come.

Chapter 2.

Ka looked down at her palms, noting the bloody blisters and torn calluses, but she felt nothing, just as she'd felt nothing for weeks. Nothing but cold. Nothing but numb. She couldn't summon any concern. She deserved this. Penance, she told herself, even if she knew it would never be enough.

"Eat." A lump of stale bread was shoved under Kea's nose. The hands holding it covered in dust, but without any blood. Hands that had seen hard labor for years and were used to wielding a pickaxe hour after hour, day after day. Warden Rook had been wrong about Crested dying swiftly in the tunnels. The exquarer was like a cockroach. Kea was beginning to doubt anything would kill her.

"5 minutes," called the nearest black-uniformed guard, his hands on his whip as he swaggered along the aluminum-lit underground passageway.

"There was no need for the announcement. The lunch break was the same length every day."

"Eat," Cresta repeated, pressing the bread into Kea's hands. They sat in line with the other inmates, their backs slumped against the limestone wall, their tools resting at their sides while they shared a brief moment of respite. When Cresa elbowed her in the ribs, Kea mechanically brought the offering to her lips, chewing through the dryness. "Now drink," the redhead commanded. And Ka did so, scooping a handful of murky water from a puddle near her feet. It tasted like dirt, but it washed the bread down and kept her hydrated. Survive. That was the most she could manage these days, even if she was only delaying the inevitable.

Kea had always known her end would come quickly in any allocation outside of the infirmary. She wasn't like Ca. She couldn't keep up with the grueling labor indefinitely. Having arrived back at the prison just over 5 weeks ago, Ka was surprised she'd lasted as long as she had, and she knew it was only because of the exquarer. Whether out of pity or something else entirely, once Crusta had seen Ka through her withdrawal, she hadn't abandoned her, as Ka had assumed she would. She wasn't warm, she wasn't friendly, and she barely spoke, aside from forcing Ka to see to the most basic of human needs. But somehow, in the last five weeks, they'd become partners. If one fell down, the other was there to pull them up, with Cresta doing most of the lifting. Ka still didn't understand why. There was so much left unspoken between them, not the least of which was Cresta's role as the leader of the prison rebels and whether she knew who KA really was. Prior to Keva's escape, she hadn't. But so much had changed since then, including how there were no longer any prison rebels left for Crusta to lead. Warden Rook had seen to that. Despite so many inmates having perished in the riot, Grenle, Alicia, and Nurgal, among others whom Ka had known, the warden had still ordered a mass execution afterward. None of Cresta's circle had been spared the hangman's noose, with her alone having been reallocated to the tunnels in Rook's sadistic attempt to prolong her suffering. It was the only reason Kea could think of for why the redhead remained by her side, because in some twisted way, Ka was familiar. She was safe, and maybe Crest needed that, having lost almost as much as Ka.

No, Kea thought, staring at her bloody hands again. Not as much. It hurt to think his name, to recall his face, but she made herself do so while reaching unconsciously for the amulet resting beneath her tunic. The guards having been ordered not to take it from her upon her arrival. "I want you to have it as a reminder of tonight, of everything you helped make happen," Zelica had said through iron bars deep beneath Valenia's river palace. Even without the royal crest hanging around Kea's neck as a constant, choking reminder, she would never forget. It was impossible. She saw him every moment of every day. His blue gold eyes filled with pain and horror as he realized the truth that she'd taken everything from him. His throne, his magic, his heart. Jiren Valentis, the once heir to the kingdom of Avalon, now forced out of his own palace and on the run, all because of Kea. And it wasn't just Jiren. There were others she cared about who now suffered because of her choices. Nari, Calvin, Tip, even her brother Terrell. She had no idea what had befallen any of them in the weeks since that night when everything had been torn apart. When she closed her eyes, she saw Nari lying in a pool of blood after being struck by Zelica's death magic. She saw Calvin looking down at the barely alive Jiren before screaming at Kea to flee. His loyalty to his family at odds with his love for her. She saw Tip's devastation when he realized she'd lied to him for years, followed by his small body crumpling after a blow from Zelica, who had claimed he'd be a liability until Ka had a chance to explain. A chance she'd never been given. He'd been placed in the care of Rinda, who had promised to watch over him, just as she'd promised to care for Terrell after he'd been stabbed during the skirmish with their Mira abductors. But it wasn't the abductors who had nearly killed him. It was Zelica. It was always Zelica. Everything that had happened could be blamed on Kea's sister, who had partnered with Mirren Valentis to overthrow Eve, the princess having been coerced by Mirven's king Navoc, to turn on her own family for the sake of her love for Navak's sister, Saraphene. But despite knowing all of that, Ka still blamed herself because she was the reason they'd succeeded. She'd told them everything they'd needed to steal the throne, betraying everyone she loved in the process, betraying Jiren. He was never going to forgive her. She was never going to forgive herself. People like her didn't deserve forgiveness. They deserved death. It was only fitting that she was back in Zalandov, awaiting her end. There was no escaping this time. No one was coming for her. She was on her own, just the way it should be. She'd earned that, the suffering, the pain. But even so, there was no punishment in the world that could mend what she'd broken. That was something she had to live with and soon enough die with.

"Time," called the nearest guard, with the word being echoed by other guards spaced further along the tunnels. "Back to work!"

Ka heaved herself up to her feet, aware of Cresta at her side as always. Once Ka had dreaded encountering the other girl around the prison, her antagonistic attitude and penchant for stirring up trouble making Ka steer clear of her. And despite whatever stalemate they'd reached now, KA would never forget that Cresta had once threatened Tip's life, claiming she would kill him if Ka failed to keep the rebel queen alive. Ka hadn't needed the motivation, seeing as Tilda quarantine was her own mother. Or she had been once. Tilda was dead now. Kea hadn't been able to save her. She hadn't been able to save her father either, or her brother Karen. Half of her family gone. Despite their deaths not being her fault, Ka was plagued by the knowledge that the healing magic in her blood could have kept them from the otherworld if she'd had the chance to use it. If she'd had the courage to use it, she'd failed them. And now she was paying the price for that and for so many other things.

"What are you doing?" Ca murmured.

"Dig." Kea blinked, realizing that while her fellow prisoners had reclaimed their tools, she was just standing there staring at her hands again. Hands that were covered in blood and filled with power. If she wanted, she could summon the magic to the surface, calling it forth in a blaze of golden light. Or, with one wrong thought, one wrong desire, she could summon the death magic inherited from her ancestor, Torven Carine. The same magic that had cursed her mother and corrupted her sister. It was inside her now. It had always been inside her. Kea shuddered and balled her hands into fists.

"Pick up your axe," Cresta hissed. As if through a haze, Ka looked across at her, noting the urgency puckering her serpent tattoo, and then she saw the reason for Crest's concern. The guard, who had just rounded the corner and was heading straight for them. It was Bones. A latent survival instinct caused Ka to swiftly collect her ax and swing it toward the limestone. Along with the butcher, Bones was one of two guards whom she had come to truly fear during her 10 years at Zalandov. The pale, black-eyed man was wild and unpredictable, usually found with a crossbow over his shoulders, patrolling atop the outer walls or posted to the guard towers. That he was underground now. Kea's skin crawled as he approached, waiting for him to pass. He didn't. Instead, he stopped directly behind her, his hand shooting forward until his fingers curled around her ax, tugging it away. Cresta slowed her digging, tension emanating from her as she kept one eye on Ka and the other on Bones, her hazel gaze screaming a warning. Kea swallowed and turned to face him.

"Hello, healer," he purred. The gleeful look in his eyes pierced through the numbness she'd felt for weeks, causing fear to flood her veins. Before, as the prison healer, she'd had a modicum of protection from guards like Bones, not just because she was the only person who could competently provide their medical treatment, but also because she'd had the favor of the warden. While that hadn't guaranteed her safety, she'd never faced some of the horrors many of the other prisoners had suffered through. As a tunneler, she no longer had that protection, and she certainly didn't have Rook's favor anymore.

Bones moved a step closer, and Kea automatically shifted backwards, her shoulders colliding with the limestone. The inmate to her left hesitated, but then he continued to dig faster than ever, as if not wanting to draw attention to himself. But on Kea's right, Crest stopped digging entirely.

"Can we help you?" she asked, leveling a look at Bones.

He barely glanced at her. "Get back to work, Voss." It didn't bode well that he knew Cresta's name. Guards rarely addressed prisoners by anything other than their identification numbers. Moving his free hand to rest on his crossbow, Bones smirked at Kea and said, "Let's take a walk." He threw her ax to the ground and reached for her, causing Ka's stomach to somersault. But before he could make contact, Ca wedged her way in between them.

"I like walking," the redhead said conversationally. "Where are we going?"

Bones slitted his eyes toward Cresta. "This is your only warning." She was unmoved, remaining between them like a human barrier.

"Cresta," Ka attempted, but her mouth was too dry to continue.

"If Kea gets to stretch her legs, we should all get to stretch our legs," Crest stated, heedless to the danger, perhaps reveling in it. "Fair's fair."

Bones cocked his head to the side as he considered her. "Normally, I'd be curious to see how this plays out, but I'm not in the mood today." He looked past her and signaled to a pair of tunnel guards who quickly approached before his eyes flicked back to Cresta. "You can start digging again or they can make you. Your choice."

Kea's anxiety grew when Cresa remained defiantly in place, prompting the new guards to grab her, one on each side. Mirth flashed across Bones's face as he watched Cresta struggle in their arms, but then he turned back to Ka. "You come with me."

Kea shot a panicked glance toward Cresta, only to realize that the redhead was about to do something foolish, like attack the guards. So, she quickly croaked out, "It's fine. I'll be back soon." She wasn't sure if that was true since she had no idea what Bones wanted, but she couldn't stand the thought of Cresta getting punished on her behalf. If the ex-quarrier pushed the guards any further, then Ka didn't want to consider what consequences she might face. Holding Crusta's eyes, Ka silently begged her to stand down until finally she stopped struggling and gave a curt nod of agreement. A relieved breath left Ka, but then her body locked when bones spun on his heel and strode away, calling over his shoulder, "If I don't hear your footsteps behind me, the next place you'll be heading is the morg."

Ca shook off her guards and gave Ka a hearty shove forward, saying, "Bones doesn't make threats. He makes promises. Hurry. But you will do as he said and be a good little tunneler," Cresta said sourly, pushing Kea again. "Go."

With one final, "Why aren't you moving?" "Look." Ca returned to her place against the limestone wall and resumed digging. The two guards watched her closely, but Kea knew the redhead was smart enough not to give them any more trouble. Cresta had already risked much by challenging Bones, who had earned his nickname from callously snapping the bones of prisoners, sometimes for no reason other than that he was bored. Guilt churned within Kea at the thought of what could have happened if he'd lost his patience with the ex-quarrier. But then she remembered he was waiting for her to follow. So with one last glance to make sure Ca was safely back to work, Kea hurried after the guard, catching up just as he reached the ladders. He seemed almost disappointed to see her behind him, his hand gripping his crossbow as if he'd been looking forward to using it. Kea eyed the weapon nervously, causing Bones to smile, but he only jerked his chin at the ladder shaft and said, "Up we go." Mockingly, he added, "Ladies first."

Hyper aware of bones monitoring her every move, Ka obediently climbed the rungs. It felt like an eternity before they reached the surface. So many questions popping into her mind, none of which she could ask, but none of which she had to, because as soon as she followed Bones out into the afternoon sunshine, she saw why he had retrieved her, or rather, who had summoned her. The warden stood waiting just beyond the entrance to the domed building, his dark face blank as he took in her sweat-soaked, dust-smeared appearance. She came to a sudden stop at the side of him. 5 weeks, and she hadn't seen him once, not since she'd first arrived, her mind having been so drug-addled at the time that she barely remembered the encounter. A flash of teeth revealing his delight, coupled with some jeering words welcoming her back. That was all she recalled. She'd been so out of it that she hadn't felt anything then, unlike now. Her vision turned red as she looked at the man responsible for the deaths of—

So many people, including years ago, her father. So, it's true. You're still alive," Rook said without preamble.

Kea didn't reply, reminding herself that if she tried to physically harm him, Bones would take her down. Calvin had begun training her to fight during her time at the River Palace, but she'd had nowhere near enough lessons to take on both Rook and Bones, or even just one of them. Her skills were lamentable, and that was without the weeks of malnourishment and neglect that came with being a prisoner. She had to be smart and bide her time, even if she longed to make him pay for what he'd done.

"I have to admit, I didn't think you'd last this long," Rook went on. "Especially given the state you were in when you arrived. I'm reluctantly impressed." His eyes held hers, his diamond scar more menacing than ever. "Then again, you always were a survivor, weren't you?"

Kea raised her chin, but remained silent. Nothing to say. He cocked a brow. "Pity, but I didn't come to hear you speak. You've caused me no end of trouble since you left Ka Meridan, or should I say Kea Quarantine." She tried not to react, but her face drained of color, causing Rook's expression to flare with triumph.

"That came as quite the surprise," he said. "Though I now understand why you volunteered for the trial by ordeal. Your own mother, how tragic." At his taunting words, Kea clenched her hands hard enough for her fingernails to pierce her skin.

"But none of that would have mattered. I would have left you alone if not for that prince of yours," Rook said, his voice growing heated. "Did you know he tried to remove me as the warden? He even tried to bring charges against me, if you can believe it. But I don't answer to Eve. Or not just Eve. I'm governed by the leaders of all eight kingdoms. And when it comes to orders, the majority rules. Unlike your prince Deick, they appreciate my competence here. Knowing I keep the worst offenders in Wenderol locked away from the world. How I do that, they don't care. Or they didn't until you and your prince put a spotlight on me."

Kea stilled at the dark look on Rook's face. "They might have decided not to act on Deick's allegations, but they're watching me much more closely now," the warden said. "I don't like that. Not at all." He leaned forward, the movement slight and yet still ominous enough to fill Kea with foreboding. "Since he's no longer here to feel my displeasure, I've decided that now you're feeling better, you'll get to experience it on his behalf."

Kea's foreboding grew as Rook waved his hand and two of his personal guards appeared like smoke from around the side of the building. "The butcher is expecting you. N18 K442," Rook said as the new guards latched onto Kea's arms. It took a moment for his words to process, but when they did, her heart stopped. Rook's lips stretched into a grin as he finished. "He's got a special cell prepared just for you."

Chapter 3. Darkness. That was all Ka knew. All Ka was curled up in the corner of a pitch-black cell inside the abyss. She tried to find the will to survive. Her inner demons whispering that she should give up, that everyone hated her and no one would ever forgive her, that there was no reason to keep on living. Such thoughts had plagued her ever since the angel dust had faded from her blood weeks earlier. But the unnatural darkness of the abyss amplified them, leaving her slumped over herself and covering her ears, as if doing so might keep the damning voices at bay. She was in her own personal hell, and it was a hell of her own making.

Ka had felt the despair of being locked in an isolation cell only once before, right after Jiren had saved her from the trial by water. The sensory deprivation had nearly destroyed her. But thanks to Nari's warning, Ka had known she would be released from her final ordeal. This time she had no guarantees. All she knew was that the butcher's ruddy face had lit with anticipation upon Rook's guards delivering her to the punishment block earlier that afternoon. His delight enough that for one stomach-dropping moment, Ka had feared he would drag her straight to the flogging post. She still had nightmares about his bloodied whip tearing Jarn's flesh open, but the butcher had spared her that cruelty, having other plans for her, other torments.

"Pain fades, but darkness lingers," he'd said gleefully, dragging her to the abyss and throwing her in, leaving her with no distractions from her own merciless thoughts. Guilt, sorrow, shame. They were her constant companions as the seconds crawled by, then the minutes, then the hours. All the while, she saw the same faces over and over again. Jiren, Nari, Tip, Calvin, Terrell. She heard Jiren's final words to her. "How could you?" She heard Caldon's dead-sounding warning. "You need to run." She heard Tip's wobbling, tear-filled accusation. "You're a quarantine." And then she saw her sister's smug face, her moon-pale skin and honey-gold eyes laughing as her damning words repeated endlessly in Ka's mind. "Well done, sister. I couldn't have done this without you."

If Rook had wanted to torture Kea, he couldn't have picked a better punishment than to lock her in with her own demons. The darkness only made them grow. "I can't do this," Ka whispered, trembling and rocking in place. "I can't survive this." She didn't want to survive it. What was the point when she'd lost so much? There was nothing left for her. Nothing and no one. She wanted the darkness to take her, wanted it to be over, wanted it to end.

But then there was a crack of light, momentary and blinding, followed by the groan of another human as they were thrown into the cell with Kea, their body crashing onto the hard stone as the door slammed shut behind them. "Son of a—" hissed a familiar voice, weak with pain near Ka's feet. Kea wondered if she was dreaming or if she was already dead.

"Ca?" A grunt of confirmation. "Who the hell else?" For a moment, Kea's mind blanked, but then another pained groan prompted her to feel through the darkness until she found the other girl. The lightest of touches causing Cresta to gasp and flinch away. "What did they do to you?" Kea asked, reaching more carefully. "Where does it hurt?"

A bark of strained laughter left Cresta. "The better questions are, what didn't they do, and where doesn't it hurt?" Kea halted her searching hands, not wanting to cause more damage. Hesitantly, she asked. "Is this because of what happened in the tunnels?"

"This may come as a shock," Cresta said dryly. "But guards like Bones don't take kindly to prisoners who talk back to them." There was a rustling sound followed by a string of muted oaths. When she spoke again, she was panting lightly, her voice now coming from beside Ka, indicating that she'd managed to pull herself upright. "It was worth it just to see his surprise."

"It's my fault," Kea whispered. "You're here because of me."

"I'm here because of me," Cresta said sharply. "No man should be able to lord his power over those weaker than him. If you hadn't stopped me, I would have taken great pleasure in turning things physical. Trust me on that." Her words triggered one of Kea's hazy memories from the early days of her withdrawal when Ca shared about her own family, mentioning that her mother had sought to survive her father. Kea hadn't needed her to fill in the blanks. By the sounds of it, Ca had endured a lifetime of abusive men, with today being no different.

"What can I do?" Kea asked, hovering uselessly. She could see nothing. If not for Cresta's labored breathing, she wouldn't have even known the other girl was there.

"You can quit fussing," Cresta said. "The only reason the butcher tossed me in here is because he knew you'd be cut up about what he did to me and the sadistic bastard wanted to add to your torture. But I've had worse and I'll heal soon enough." There was a loaded pause before she added almost too casually. "Unless you feel like speeding it along with that magic of yours."

Kea pushed past her shock and said, almost accusingly, "So, you do know who I am." Ca was silent for long enough that Ka wondered if she'd passed out, but then she replied, her words chosen with care. "When the riot started, I ran straight to the infirmary. I'd been told to keep Tilda alive. She was my ticket out of here. The rebels were going to take me with them when they came for her, or so I was told." The last was grumbled under her breath, but then her volume returned to normal. "I didn't make it in time. The boy Tip was already on the ground, barely conscious, and Tilda was—" she stopped as if suddenly remembering who she was talking to, then went on more cautiously. "She heard me approach and reached out, using the last of her strength to pull me close. And then she said your name through numb lips."

Kea asked, "Did she—did she say anything else?"

"I told her I wasn't you, but she just tugged me closer and said, 'Tell her I love her. Tell her I'm sorry. Tell her I tried to.'" Tears welled in Kea's eyes.

"Tried to what?" Crest's voice was uncharacteristically soft when she said she wasn't able to finish. Quickly, she continued, "I figured the boy was a goner, so I left him and returned to the fighting, furious that the rebel queen's death meant I'd lost my chance to escape. And furious that I'd never figured out who you were. Not until that moment."

"No one knew," Kea said quietly. "No one was meant to know."

Another pause and then Ca said, "You healed the boy."

Kea nodded, even if she knew Ca couldn't see her. "But your mother died before you could heal her, too."

Kea said nothing, her silence telling. Ca blew out a breath. "That's rough."

A startled, if pained, laugh left Ka. "You could say that." A tear fell down her cheek as she admitted in a whisper. "And that's not even the worst of it."

In the darkness of the abyss, Kea threw aside caution, realizing it hardly mattered anymore, and told Cresta the rest. Everything she'd kept bottled up for too long came pouring out. Starting with how she and her father had been sent to Zalandov and the 10 years she'd spent waiting for vengeance before moving on to how she'd ended up at the river palace living with her blood enemies only to discover that they weren't her enemies at all. She then shared everything that had happened at the masquerade before finishing with how she'd been drugged and delivered back to Zalandov.

It was only then that Cresa whistled through her teeth and said, "No wonder you're so messed up." Kea saw no point in responding. It was true. She was messed up beyond repair. Cresa scoffed, making Ka realize she'd said the last part out loud. "There's no such thing as beyond repair." The ex-quarer stated firmly, "You're breathing, aren't you? You're still alive. That means you can fix what you've broken."

Kea shook her head in the dark. "There's no fixing this."

"Gods, I forgot how stubborn you are," Cresa muttered. "That ass clown tunneler, the one I punched in the face for protecting your virtue or whatever. He turned out to be your bloodsworn nemesis, didn't he?"

"Nemesis is a strong word," Ka argued weakly. Under her breath, she added, "So is ass clown. He lied about who he was, and it wasn't a small lie. It was a life-changing lie, right?"

"Cresa pushed. 'I lied to him, too,'" Kea defended Jiren. "And my lies continued for longer and caused much more damage."

Cresa made a frustrated noise. "Work with me here. He lied to you, but you still forgave him. He represented everything you'd avowed to hate."

"Avowed? Kea pulled a face. Who says that?"

"And yet," Cresa went on, sounding like she was grinding her teeth, "you still managed to fall in love with him."

Kea snapped her mouth shut, pain lancing her heart. "Don't you think it's possible that if he cares for you as deeply as you do him, and from what you said, all evidence is in your favor? Then maybe, just maybe, there's still a chance for you."

"He won't forgive me," Kea said, her voice raspy now. "And it hardly matters. Because I'll never see."

"Maybe he won't," Christa agreed, cutting her off. "But after what you did to him, doesn't he deserve to have you at least try to earn his forgiveness?"

"There's nothing I can—" and Nari, Cresta went on, speaking over Kea's objections. "I liked her. For a guard, she was half decent." She was more than half decent. But Kea didn't correct Cresta, certain the redhead would only interrupt her again. "Something tells me she'll hold a mean grudge. But even when she was here, it was obvious she cared for you." Cresta said, "Do you really think she'd want you to roll over and give up? That she'd want you leaving them to the mess you created without even attempting to make things better?"

Kea's throat tightened. "And I can't speak for the other prince. What's his face?"

"Ken," Ka offered quietly.

"Yeah, him," Cresta said. "But by the sounds of it, he's the only one who knew the truth about you. And he still stood by you, even after your sister stabbed his cousin and stole their kingdom. My guess is it won't take much to regain his trust if you ever lost it in the first place."

Kea pressed her lips together to keep them from wobbling. "As for your brother, I have no idea why you think you failed him. He's the god's damned general of the rebel forces. If anything, he failed you by not getting you out of here."

"He tried," Kea croaked, remembering how Terrell had attempted to rescue her and Tilda, only to be called off by Zelica.

"He should have tried harder and sooner," Cresta said firmly, reminding Ka that she too had been awaiting rebel intervention. "And beyond that, he should have figured out what that psychotic sister of yours was up to and stopped her before it was too late. Death magic? Are you kidding me with that?" Ca made a disbelieving sound. "They say love is blind, but it's not that blind. He had no way to know she."

"And then there's the boy," Cresta cut her off again. "If no one else, you should at least fight for him. You're all he has."

The words cut Kea deep. "He's better off without me."

"Do you really believe that?" Cresta asked.

"I lied to him."

"You lied to everyone," Ca's tone was indifferent. "We've already covered this. And so what? Everyone lies. I lie to you all the time, but you're still sitting beside me." Kea's forehead scrunched. "What do you lie about?" She then added. "And it's not like I have a choice. We're locked in here. That we can't do anything about."

Ca said, ignoring Kea's first question. "It's out of our control. But do you know what's not?"

"What?" Kipa asked, unsure if she wanted to hear the answer.

"We might be stuck in the abyss for now, but it's up to us how we see it. We can look at the darkness and let it consume us, or we can recognize that it's only temporary, trusting that once it passes, the light will return." Cresta said, "It's all about our attitude." She paused for a beat, then said quieter. "You used to be a fighter, Kea. Don't you think your friends would want you to fight, not just for yourself, but for them? After everything, don't you owe them that?"

There was a lump in Ka's throat that refused to budge. She could hear it in her voice when she forced out the words. "What does it matter? I'll never see them again."

"You've escaped Zalandov once. Nothing seems to be impossible for you."

"I had help though," Kea said. "This time, no one knows I'm in here. No one but Zelica and Mirren and the transfer guards I traveled with." Ca made a thoughtful sound. "I'll admit that does complicate things, but still never say never." Her clothes rustled as she moved again. Then a pained moan slipped out, reminding Ka that she was injured. Casting her tumultuous thoughts aside, Ka said, "Before you list all the reasons why I should prepare for a prison break, stay still for a moment and let me heal you."

She shifted until her palms connected with Crest's torso, then closed her eyes, calling forth the magic in her blood. She had no training, no idea what she was doing. But for years, her power had lingered just beneath the surface, always waiting for her, ready for her command. Even when she'd buried it as deep as it would go, she'd still felt it whispering to her. It was only after she'd escaped Salandov that it had started bursting out of her uncontrollably, demanding her attention. When she tried to summon it now, Ka was startled to realize that she hadn't felt the touch of her power in weeks, not since the night of the masquerade. Opening her eyes again, she saw nothing but the blackness of the abyss, and her body froze as her mind conjured images of Zelica's shadowy magic. That same evil was inside Kea. With a single thought. Instead of healing Ca, she could kill her.

"Is something meant to be happening?" Cresta asked impatiently.

"I—" Ka swallowed. "I just need a second." Biting her cheek, she ignored the anxious sweat dotting her skin, even in the chilled cell, and banished all thoughts of dark, shadowy magic tendrils. Her magic was good. It helped others, healed others. She would never use it for evil. With a steadying inhale, Ka summoned it again, this time, feeling it stir within her. But just as a tinge of golden light began to glow from her hands. Panic swept over her, and the light vanished again, leaving them in darkness once more.

In a wry voice, Cresta said, "You've picked a hell of a time to have performance issues."

Shaken, Kea replied, "I'm sorry. I think I'm just tired. Magic takes energy, and I don't have a lot of that these days."

"Surely that was it," Ka told herself. She was exhausted, underfed, and soul-weary. There was nothing left to fuel her power. That had to be why it had been so quiet for weeks. If she'd had magical training, she might have known how to summon it regardless. But everything she knew about her power had been self-taught and mostly trial and error with a lot of luck thrown in. That luck had apparently run out.

"Don't worry about it," Cresta said. "I already told you I'm not that bad. A few days and I'll be all better." Kea felt the guilt of her failure wash over her. Another failure. Cresta had helped her through so much since her return to Zalandov, and she couldn't even repay the exor by easing her pain.

"It's almost like I can hear you thinking," Kusta murmured. "Stop it. I'm fine."

"You're hurt," Kea returned. "And I—"

"This is nothing," Ca said. "You should have seen what they did to me after the riot. That was unpleasant." Kea winced. She might not have liked Cresta then. It was debatable whether she liked Cresta now, but she'd never enjoyed knowing others were suffering.

"If I had been smarter, I would have stayed in the infirmary after I realized who you were, since I should have figured out that if you made it through the trial, you'd go directly to your mother and the boy." Crest amused. "Then I could have escaped with you." Kea tried to picture it. Ca leaving Zalandov alongside her, Nari, Jiren, and Tip. But the image was too strange for her mind to conjure. It did however prompt her to ask. "All along you expected the rebels to break you out."

"Fat lot of good that came to be," Cresa muttered. "How did you—I mean, I've always wondered. How did you become a rebel?" Kea tried again.

"Get up." Kea jerked. "What?"

"If you want the answer, you need to earn it," Cresta said. "So get your ass up." Kea's brows bunched together. "I don't—"

"My mother always said movement is the best thing for when you're feeling down. Stay still for too long and your troubles only catch up with you." Ca said, "You have a lot of troubles and they've been weighing too heavily on you. I told you earlier that you need to get your fighting spirit back and that starts now. But I—"

"Ass up, healer. And do what?" Ka asked exasperated. "It's not like I can go anywhere. This cell is barely large enough for the two of us."

"Remember what I said about attitude?" Ca asked. "There's plenty you can do in a small space. You told me about your training with that prince, the cousin."

"Calvin," Ka said again.

"Aside from the running, most of what you did focused on strength, balance, and endurance, all using contained movements, and repetition." Kea frowned. "Yeah, but—"

"So you'll do that here. For as long as we're locked away, you'll move. You'll train. It'll get your blood flowing and cleanse your thoughts," Cresa said. "And just maybe, it'll stop you from hating yourself long enough for you to see that you do have a reason to live and that there are people who, despite you believing otherwise, need you to live, too."

Tears prickled Ka's eyes. "Why are you doing this?" She whispered into the darkness. "Why do you care?"

"I didn't when you first arrived," Cresa answered bluntly. "But you're like an annoying rash. You've grown on me. Unbidden." A snort left Kea. Cresta turned serious then, her voice quieting as she said. "Everyone deserves to have someone fight for them, even and especially when they're unable to fight for themselves. You did that for me once. You fought for me. You saved my life. And I've hated you every day since because it meant that I then had to make the same choice to fight and to keep fighting day after day. And that's hard. It's exhausting and it's painful and it hurts. But I eventually realized that it's also a part of life and it will all be worth it one day. I have to believe that for me and for you." Louder, firmer, she finished. "So get your ass up, healer. It's time to train."

A storm of emotions swept through Ka. Frustration, anger, and resentment. But there was also a flicker of something that she hadn't felt for so long. Hope. Ca was right. Ka owed it to those she loved to get up, to keep going, to fight. She had no idea how to make things better. Nor did she know if she'd ever get the opportunity, locked away as she was. But if there was the slightest chance that she could earn their forgiveness, then she had to try for their sakes and for hers.

So she stood up. And then at Cresta's urging, Kea began to go through the exercises Calvin had drilled into her every morning at the river palace. She didn't have a wooden box to step onto, so she modified by squatting until her thighs burned. She couldn't run around the barracks, so she jogged on the spot until her lungs screamed. She didn't have a practice blade, but she still went through all the lunges and parries she could remember until sweat dripped down her face.

All the while, Cresta fulfilled her promise and shared her tale. "I already told you that I was 10 when my sister overdosed," she said as Keva balanced on one foot with her arm stretched high in the air. "A year later, my father lost his temper, worse than ever before, and he started taking that out on me. But my sister jumped in to stop him, defending me with a fury he never expected. He—she—they—" Cresta broke off. When she started again, her voice was hard and emotionless. "In one night, I lost everyone but my mother. I was barely 11 years old. We were alone and terrified, owning nothing but the clothes on our backs. I still don't know how we survived those first few weeks."

Kea was scarcely breathing, hearing the heartache in every word, feeling the heartache. Her right leg began to tremble, so she lowered it back to the ground and swapped to the other foot, raised her hands again, and waited. "For a long time after that, we lived by the mercy of strangers as we traveled from village to village, making our way south out of Miran until we finally managed to sneak illegally into Avalon."

Kea was surprised enough to say, "You're from Miran?"

"I was once," Ca said. "You don't have an accent."

"We wanted to blend in after we crossed the border," Cresta said. "It's easy to hide what you don't want others knowing. You of all people should know that." Kea acknowledged her point and switched legs again. "For a few years, we moved aimlessly, never staying in one place for too long. Mother didn't have a plan. She was just in survival mode, trying to keep us both alive. But then when I was 16, she got sick. Lung rot. It spread quickly and soon she was coughing up blood and having trouble breathing."

Kea winced. Lung rot was a terrible disease with very few viable treatments. Patients usually died in a matter of weeks, sometimes days. "Ever since we'd arrived in Eveon, we'd heard whispers that a quarantine heir had taken over leadership of the rebels," Cresa went on. "We didn't care about the ancient feud between Srana and Torbin, nor did we care who sat on the Eolanian throne. We wanted nothing to do with a foreign royal dispute. So, we stayed far away from any Valentis or Carantine loyalists, keeping to ourselves and avoiding any personal connections. But when mother's sickness left her bedridden, the village healer made a passing comment about Tilda Carantine's magic, saying it was a pity the rebels weren't recruiting in the area."

Ka thought back to what Terrell had shared about the early years of Tilda's leadership, how she'd used her magic to heal anyone in need. It was only later that she'd begun to make them earn their healing, requiring that they prove themselves loyal to the rebel movement before receiving the reward of her power. If Cresta had been 16 at the time, then that was around 5 years ago, Tilda would have still been healing people then.

"I knew it was a slim chance, but mother was all I had left in the world, and I was willing to do whatever I could to save her," Cresta said. "So I left her in the care of the healer and took off in search of the rebel queen." Nearly losing her balance, Ka wobbled for a moment before steadying again.

"Did you find her?"

"No," Ca answered in a flat voice. "I followed enough leads to get close to the rebel camp, but then I made the mistake of asking the wrong person for directions. He turned out to be an undercover royal guard and arrested me on charges of conspiracy to commit treason." Her tone turned hoarse as she said. "I received a missive from my mother's healer right before I was loaded into the prison wagon telling me she'd passed. I didn't even get to say goodbye."

Kea set her foot back down, her hands lowering to her sides. "Ca." She trailed off, having no idea what to say.

"Didn't you ever wonder why I tried to kill myself when I first arrived here?" Ca asked. Of course, Kea had wondered. But she'd never realized.

"You're not the only person to have felt like you've lost everything," Caes said, her voice quiet. It regained strength as she went on. "I meant what I said earlier. I hated you for saving me. Every time I saw you, I remembered that you'd taken that choice from me. In return, I went out of my way to make your life unpleasant." Unpleasant was a generous description, Kea thought. "But in hindsight, I'm grateful for what you did. So grateful." Cresta said, "Life is worth living, even the parts that make us feel like we want to die. That's something I've learned in the last 5 years." She hesitated, then added, "I know I've never said it before, but thank you. I wouldn't be alive today without you."

Kea tried to rein in her emotions as she replied, "You're welcome. But we both know the same can be said for me. I never would have made it through my withdrawal without your help or survived any of the days since then."

"I thought you didn't want to survive them," Ca asked, her tone pointed. Kea huffed out a sound that was part amused, part annoyed. "Turns out. I've grown close with this self-righteous exquarer who seems to think I should hang around for a while. Something about making amends and earning forgiveness."

"She sounds wise," Ka noted. "You should listen to her." This time, Ka's amusement won. Stretching out her tight muscles, she commented. "I still don't understand how you ended up being a rebel."

"Despite the impression I gave, I was never one of them. I was just working for them. Sort of," Cresta answered. "One of the guards here was secretly a rebel and he recruited me, telling me he'd ignore some of my more problematic indiscretions in return for me reporting back about—" Cresa broke off suddenly. "Gods. I can't believe I never realized."

"What?" Kea asked.

"Part of my role was to convert prisoners and stir up trouble, but I was also meant to spy on the other inmates, especially you," Cresta said. "I thought it was just because you were the warden's bosom buddy and they wanted someone on the inside watching you both closely. Now I can see that those orders must have come from your family with them wanting to keep tabs on you."

Ka thought back to her decade locked away with only sporadic coded messages revealing anything about how her mother, brother, and sister were doing and similarly only the briefest of details from her own life being sent outside the walls. She didn't know how she felt hearing that they'd been keeping an eye on her through other people, but she let it go to say, "You said before that you wanted nothing to do with the feud between my family and—and Jiren's." Kea stumbled a little over his name. "I guess I'm just confused about why you agreed to work with them, especially after—well, they're the reason you ended up here in a roundabout way. Weren't you angry with them?"

"I was angry with everyone. You know that. Then why?"

"They offered me a deal," Cresta said. "If I turned enough prisoners to the rebel movement, then they'd come and break us out. I never believed in their cause. I meant what I said about wanting to avoid any royal complications. Quarantine, Balentis, I don't care who rules Eve, but I saw an opportunity to earn my freedom, and I took it."

Kea mulled over her words, realizing that most people would have done the same thing in Crest's position. No wonder she'd been so desperate for Ka to keep Tilda alive. She'd seen it as her chance finally for the rebels to come and free her, free them. The wheels started turning in Ka's head, and she asked, "What happened to the guard? Might he help us get word out to—"

"He's dead," Cresa said without feeling. "He was patrolling on the watchtower when it exploded." Kea grimaced.

"Who do you report to now?"

"No one," Cresta said, yawning. "As far as I'm concerned, my rebel days are over. Especially after everything you shared about your sister. Do you really think I'm crazy enough to stay involved in that? No, thank you."

"She'll be disappointed," Ka murmured, recalling what Zelica had said about Cresta. "She's doing great things for our cause, even behind those walls." Kea felt a smug satisfaction in knowing that Cresta had never worked with the rebels out of loyalty, but had cooperated only for pragmatic, self-serving reasons.

"Life is full of disappointments," Cresa said, yawning again louder this time. "And besides, I have no desire to be anywhere near someone who can stop my heart with a thought." An awkward, strained silence fell before the redhead coughed and amended. "Present company excluded."

Instead of allowing dread to grip her, a choked laugh bubbled out of Ka, the lightness of it surprising her after so long without any joy. And then Cresta was laughing with her. The two of them, delirious from a combination of pain and fatigue, and merely from being once enemies, who were now locked in a tight, dark space together after having candidly shared their traumatic pasts.

Only when they finally sobered did Ka hear Ca yawn again, prompting her to say, "It's late. You'll heal faster if you sleep."

"And you need to rest so you can continue your exercises tomorrow," Cresa returned, her tone daring Ka to argue. But Kea only said, "I know." Because something had changed in her. A spark reignited. After weeks plagued by internal darkness, she was finally able to see a glimpse of light. Even if it was just a speck in the distance, she would have to reach for it to fight for it. But as she was beginning to realize, half the battle was finding the will to try.

And so as Ka curled up on the cold ground and closed her eyes, instead of dwelling on everything she'd lost, everyone she'd lost, she summoned their faces again. Jiren, Nari, Calen, Tip, Terrell, and thought about how much she loved them. For them, she would fight. For them, she would live. And even if she had no idea how, she would find a way to earn their forgiveness because they deserved that. And so did she.

Chapter 4. Neither Kea nor Cresta was able to keep track of how long they were locked together in the abyss. Days passed, enough for Crested to heal entirely, and then join Keva in her daily exercises, the two of them stumbling around in the dark and tripping over each other. They attempted to mark the passage of time by the delivery of food twice a day from what they could tell. More than what Ka had been allocated before her trial by ordeal, but still less than what their bodies required, especially with them training so much. Kea was constantly hungry. But she took that as a good sign since for weeks she'd had no appetite, too consumed by her misery. Cresta's mother had been right. The more Ka worked her body, the better she felt, both physically and mentally. She almost enjoyed being locked away with Cresta, whose biting personality kept her on her toes while challenging her to push herself to her limits and beyond.

And then, roughly 10 days after they were locked away, the door to their cell opened. "Get out here," came the butcher's gruff voice. Having just finished a set of grueling sit-ups, Ka was resting against the wall to catch her breath. But at the barked command, she quickly straightened, her heart leaping into her throat. "Hurry up," he said, impatient. Scrambling to her feet, Ka followed Cresta out of the cell. Both of them shielding their eyes from the shock of the luminium lights after so long in darkness.

"Not you," the butcher said, grabbing Cresta's shoulder and pushing her back. "They didn't ask for you." He slammed the heavy stone door shut again, leaving Cresta locked in the cell and Kea on her own. "Move," he said, shoving her forward. He then scrunched his nose and put some distance between them. "Gods, you're ripe." Normally, Ka would have been mortified, but instead, she was delighted that 10 days of limited hygiene resulted in the butcher keeping his distance.

"No time to clean yourself up," he continued. "They're going to have to put up with your stink." They who? Kea wanted to ask. But seeing his fingers clenched around his whip, wisdom kept her silent. The butcher led her up the stone staircases and along the gloomy corridors of the punishment block before they finally stepped outside. Spring had turned to summer while Ka had been locked in the abyss, and the bright sunshine was painful enough to make her blink back tears as the butcher prodded her onward. "Keep moving."

Ka stumbled as her eyes adjusted to the glare. She was desperate to know where he was taking her, but then dread filled her as he led her across the grounds, past the tunnel entrance, and toward the front gates. The warden's personal quarters were situated above the southern wall. Had he summoned her? Had he pulled her out of the abyss only so she might suffer a new kind of torture? Raising her chin, Ka was determined to endure whatever he threw at her. If her time spent in the abyss had taught her anything, if Ca had taught her anything, it was that her attitude mattered. Rook only had as much power as she gave him. He could break her body, but he couldn't break her spirit. Not unless she allowed him to. For weeks, she'd succumbed to the darkness of Zalandov enough that she'd wanted to die in order not to feel the agony of her own mistakes. And while her heartache still lingered, and it would remain until she had the chance to try and make things better, she was no longer controlled by her pain. She had survived that, and she would survive whatever came next, not just because Cresta would kick her ass if she didn't. Fortifying herself mentally, Ka continued to follow the butcher past the guard's barracks and toward the iron gates forged into the imposing limestone walls. This was as close as she'd been to the outside world since her arrival nearly 7 weeks ago. Adding the fortnight of drug-induced travel from Velenia, Ka had been gone for over 2 months. Her insides clenched as she wondered what might have transpired in that time. But she quickly silenced her fears, knowing there was nothing she could do. Not yet.

"Wait here," the butcher said, stopping just before the gates. Kea's brow furrowed, her confusion growing when he disappeared into the watchtower, looming over the prison entrance. While tempted, she knew better than to bolt. There was nowhere to hide, and if the guards had to search for her, she would suffer the consequences. But even so, her mind was bursting with questions, and they multiplied when she peered through the gates to see four dark horses hitched to a black carriage. It was fully enclosed, with trimmings crafted out of burnished silver and heavy curtains blocking out the windows. On the raised front seat sat two men, one holding the reins, both wearing similar outfits to the Zalandov guards, except that their leathery armor was gray instead of black.

Kea inched forward for a closer look, but she jumped back again when a small group of guards streamed out of the watchtower and headed toward her. Leading them was the warden, whose thunderous expression prompted Ka to take another step backwards, and at his side was the butcher. But it was the three unfamiliar people in gray leathers that held Ka's attention. Two men, one woman, all studying her with interest. There was nothing leerous about their glances, and that was the only reason why she managed to keep her trepidation at bay. If anything, they seemed curious and also disgusted given her appearance.

"You couldn't have given her a fresh tunic," said the woman. Her brown hair pulled back in a strict bun. Her accent made Kea suck in a sharp breath and inspect their clothes again, the familiarity causing a knot of apprehension to ball within her. The woman was Miravish, and her armor, all of their armor, was identical to the fighting leathers worn by the group of Miran soldiers who had abducted Kea to bait Jiren. The same Miran soldiers sent by King Navoc, who had allied with the rebels after their promise to aid him in his invasion of Avalon. It was a deal Ka's mother had struck in order to end up at Zalandov. A deal that had also promised Zelica as Navak's bride, binding their two kingdoms by marriage. Nervously eyeing the gay-clad group, Ka wondered if she'd made a mistake in not running and hiding. Consequences be damned.

"You said to get her," Rook answered the woman, a muscle feathering in his jaw. "You didn't say what condition you wanted her in." The woman scowled, but one of her companions, the taller of the two men, interjected with an equally thick accent. "It matters not. We'll find her something on the way." Kea replayed the words, trying to make sense of them. It sounded as if, but no, surely she must have heard wrong.

"You understand that if you take her, you'll be courting the wrath of Eve's new queens," Brookke said, a threat in his voice. "They won't take kindly to you, freeing one of their most valuable prisoners." Kea stared at him, then turned to gape at the gay-clad soldiers, hardly daring to hope. Were they truly there to take her away from Zalandov? Could her freedom be within reach?

"Queen Zulika authorized this herself," said the woman, still scowlling at Rook. "Ka quarantine is required for the royal wedding. You have your orders. She's to be released into our custody immediately."

The royal wedding. Ka was stunned to hear Zelica really was going through with it. She was marrying Navoc, a man she'd never met as far as Kea knew. The new king of Mira was said to be cunning, perceptive, and incomparably brutal enough that he'd killed his own father to take the throne. How could Zelica consent to their mother's deal, especially if it meant tying herself to someone like that? And perhaps more pertinently, why was she allowing Ka to attend the celebration? Had she grown a conscience in the last 2 months and wanted to make amends? Had Terrell found out where she'd sent Kea and demanded her release? Was there some other reason for Zelica's apparent generosity? There was no way for Ka to know, nor did she know why it was Mira soldiers who were retrieving her and not Avalonian guards. Nothing about this made her comfortable. But if it meant she could escape Zalandov, if it meant her freedom, Ka would be stupid not to take advantage of the opportunity, it would mean she was one step closer to seeing her friends again and to earning their forgiveness.

Unable to believe her luck, she turned to the warden. He was grinding his teeth loud enough for them all to hear, but he gave a jerk of his chin, indicating his reluctant consent. His dark eyes were full of fire as he locked them with kas and said, "You'll be back and I'll be waiting." He then signaled to the guards on gate duty, a silent order for them to stand down before he turned and stalked away. The butcher followed him, but only after smirking over his shoulder at Kea and saying, "I'll tell your little friend goodbye for you," Ca.

Kea looked in the direction of the punishment block, even knowing it was too far away to see. After everything the exquarer had done, Ka hated the thought of abandoning Cresta. But she could do nothing as the three Miran soldiers ushered her through the iron gates toward the carriage. "I have a friend," she tried to say.

"Quiet," the woman snapped. "But she, you can be quiet or I can cut off your tongue." Kea turned cold, instinctively aware that the woman wasn't bluffing. There were numerous weapons strapped to her leathers, and the confident way in which she moved indicated she knew how to use them. Whatever order she was following, she clearly hadn't been told to be gentle. Maybe Zelica hadn't had a change of heart after all. Not that Ka would believe her, even if that was what she claimed when they were reunited.

Turning back just once more as she was hustled into the carriage, Ka struggled to reconcile all she was feeling. Mostly it was relief from her unanticipated freedom, concern about her newest captives and sadness for leaving Cresta behind. Of them all, relief won. But her sadness dampened it. "I'll come back for you," she mentally vowed. "I promise." And then the carriage door sealed shut, leaving her alone in the luminium-lit space, sitting opposite the taller of the two men, with the woman and the shorter man having mounted horses to ride on ahead, leading the way out of Zalandov, leading Ka to her freedom.

Chapter 5. It only took a short journey through the dense Blackwood forest for Kea to realize they were heading north, not south. That explained the presence of Miran's soldiers. The wedding must be taking place at Navik's Castle in Zadria rather than at the river palace in Valencia. Kea was disappointed and alarmed by the discovery since every mile they traveled was another mile between her and her friends. So many questions bounced around her mind as they ventured toward the wild northern kingdom. Was Zelica already with Navik? When was the wedding? Would Ka be sent back to Zalandov afterward? If so, how would she escape and make her way back to Valenia alone? There were just too many unknowns, all of which occupied Ka's mind as the scenery shifted from the lush alpine forests of Eveon into the craggy, barren landscape of Miran, becoming a rocky, gray wasteland the further they traveled. There was nothing welcoming about this kingdom, but Kea endured it by reminding herself that every day they moved closer to the capital was a day closer to when she could leave. For the sake of her sanity, when they stopped each night, usually to camp on the side of the road or at a tavern in one of the sad little villages along the way, she made sure to do the exercises she and Ca had disciplined themselves with in the abyss. The strenuous movements helped keep her thoughts at bay, fighting back the darkness that had overwhelmed her during her early days at Zalandov. She would be no good to anyone, including herself if she fell back into that all-consuming hopelessness. And with the food the Miraans were shoveling into her, "You're nothing but flesh and bone," the woman had said with a frown. She was beginning to regain the health she'd lost after leaving the river palace. She still had a long way to go, but she was determined to be as strong as possible mentally and physically for all that was ahead.

As their northward journey continued, Kea considered what she knew of Zadria and the Kilderan royals. She already knew to avoid King Navoc, but his sister, Princess Saraphene, was said to be his polar opposite, kindness epitomized. Then again, she was in love with

Mirin, so that alone made Kea skeptical about her nature. Aside from the royal siblings, she knew little else about the family. Thanks to Navoc, their father, Arachus, was dead. And years previous, their mother was said to have fled, abandoning her two children, with rumor claiming she'd barely left the castle grounds before Arachus had hunted her down and killed her. That was the extent of Kea's knowledge, limited as it was.

She also knew nothing about Zadria other than that it was the capital of Mirven and being located at the center of the kingdom was completely landlocked. Despite her unease, she was interested to see how a city might survive in the middle of such a rocky wasteland. After 12 days of uncomfortable travel, they finally made their approach to Zadria, crossing the last of the desolate, cracked earth before it began to rise in a steady incline.

Ka didn't hide her curiosity as she pushed the carriage curtains wide, gaping openly at the sight before her. The city was built into the side of a rugged gray mountain. There were no trees, nothing but rock and stone as far as the eye could see. The sun had already fallen beyond the horizon, so lanterns lit the dark buildings that spiraled all the way up to the top of the mountain. At the peak sat a castle made of blackened stone, more a fortress than a palace.

Kea's insides nodded as they approached a fortified wall enclosing the city, easily thrice the size of Zalandov's limestone perimeter in both height and depth. There were no gates. The entrance to the capital was carved into the wall, which opened slowly like a giant stone doorway once the soldiers on duty approved them for entry. Goosebumps broke out on Kea's skin as the carriage trundled over jagged cobblestone paths, winding ever upward toward the imposing castle.

She tried to look out the window, but it was difficult to see much in the darkness with the buildings blurring together and any people out braving the bitter cold, having the hoods of their thick cloaks raised to cover their heads. If this was summer in Miran, Kea didn't want to imagine how miserable their winter months must be. She ran her fingers over the travel clothes she'd been given soon after leaving Zalandov, a belted forest green tunic, brown trousers, and a pair of lined boots, and found herself grateful that her guards, surily and silent as they were, had made sure to give her warm blankets each night. Relatively speaking, they'd taken good care of her, much better than anything she would have experienced at Zalandov.

Kea's heart gave a pang at the thought of Cresta still locked away, but she reminded herself that the ex-quarer had survived five long years, and she would survive a while longer. After the time they'd spent together, she also had to hope that Cresa would believe Ka would come back for her, that she'd know Ka owed her that much and would fulfill that debt as soon as she could.

Pushing the redhead from her mind, Ka grew alert when the carriage reached the highest part of the city and began to slow. She briefly considered throwing herself out the door and making a run for it. Surely that had to be better than facing her sister and her soon-to-be brother-in-law. But one look at the keen-eyed woman sitting opposite her, and she knew such an act would be futile.

Kea gathered her courage as they rode across a stone drawbridge. How they dug a moat into the mountain, she didn't know, and made sure to keep breathing as steadily as possible. Whatever her sister might say to defend herself, nothing could excuse her actions. Ka would not yield and she would not forgive. Not unless Zelica was willing to give up her stolen crown. And Ka already knew that was never going to happen.

The carriage finally drew to a halt after passing through two sets of iron gates, stopping at the base of a granite staircase that led up into the castle entrance. Someone stood at the top of the steps, backlit by the strong luminium lights bleeding out into the night, making their face unidentifiable. Their figure, however, was female, causing Ka's breath to hitch. But then they moved closer and she could see that it wasn't her sister, allowing her racing heartbeat to settle again.

"I'm not ready for this," Kea thought, having no idea how she was going to handle seeing Zelica after everything her sister had done. The betrayal, the death magic, the angel dust, the imprisonment. It was too much. "And yet, I have no choice," Kea realized, pulling herself together as the female guard opened the carriage door and pushed her out into the cold.

Kea tripped down the steps and threw a glare at the woman, who ignored her and signaled to the two drivers, plus the other soldiers who had accompanied them on horseback for the journey. After quick nods, the Miran escorts continued deeper into the castle grounds, likely seeking the stable complex or barracks.

Now that Ka was closer, she could see that the land around her was surprisingly flat, as if an ancient god had sliced a blade across the peak, establishing the foundation for a castle with expansive grounds sitting like a crown above the city. If not for her absolute dread, Kea would have been fascinated and desperate to explore. Instead, nervous sweat broke out on her skin despite the frigid air. The feeling growing when the female guard shoved her toward the staircase.

The woman who had come to greet them had silver hair coiffed in a low bun and heavily wrinkled skin. She wore a black dress with a blood red apron tied around her waist, her expression saying there were a million other things she would rather be doing. Kea stepped forward, partially pushed by the guard again, and said, "Um, hello. I'm Ka Mar uh quarantine."

"Is my sister? I'm Madame Merritt, head of housekeeping," the silver-haired woman interrupted. Her voice was lightly accented, her speech trim and formal. "Welcome to Blackmount's Castle." Despite her words, there was nothing warm about Madame Merritt's greeting.

"Thank you," Ka said haltingly. "Could you please tell me, if you'll kindly follow me?" Madame Merritt cut her off again. "We'll get you cleaned up and ready for a presentation to his majesty. No doubt you're weary from your travels, but he has a busy schedule and wishes to see you before you turn in for the night."

Ka's blood chilled at the thought of meeting King Navak so soon. She'd hoped to at least talk with her sister first. "I'm sorry, but is Zelica this way, please?" Madame Merritt spoke over her, turning and gliding up the staircase into the castle. Kea watched, frozen in place, until the female guard said, "You can't leave the grounds without an escort. You'll be struck down before you set foot on the drawbridge. That leaves you with two options. You can follow Merritt, or I can drag you after her."

Throwing her an annoyed look, Ka hurried up the stairs after the housekeeper, noting that the guard didn't follow. Her threat about the drawbridge must have been real if Ka no longer needed a babysitter. She might as well have been back in Zalandov, a prisoner once more. Disheartened, Kea quickly caught up to Madame Merritt and kept a brisk pace with her through the building's dark interior.

Where Valenia's River Palace was full of light with white marble floors and gold trimmings, Black Mount Castle was carved out of obsidian with silvery aluminum threaded into the walls to create an eerie effect, especially with the suits of armor interspersed between the scarlet tapestries and floor runners. It was beautiful, but in an unnerving, haunting way. Kea followed Madame Merritt up black staircases with silver ballustrades and along corridors with artwork depicting gruesome battle scenes. When they finally came to a halt in front of an ornate door, she was hugging her elbows, the ominous feeling of her surroundings bleeding into her soul.

The housekeeper opened the door and ushered Ka inside, revealing a luxurious bedroom in shades of black and crimson with silver highlights, the colors identical to what Ka had seen in the rest of the castle. A large bed piled high with cushions sat against one wall, and an aluminum chandelier hung from the center of the ceiling, casting a welcoming glow around the otherwise dark space. There was no balcony, but heavy scarlet curtains were drawn over three sizable windows. Kea hoped they'd offer a view down the mountain across the city, and she was eager to investigate, but later.

For now, her attention was pulled toward the sole occupant in the room, a young woman with hair braided around the crown of her head and down one shoulder, the color so fair it was almost white and eyes such a pale blue that they were nearly silver. She wore an outfit similar to Madame Merritt's, a black dress, hers with laces up the chest and a blood red apron strapped to her waist.

"Lady Quarantine," the young woman said in a thick Mirish accent, approaching Ka and ducking into a curtsy. "It's an honor to serve you." Kea barely managed to hide her flinch at the title.

"This is Brin, your ladies maid," Madame Merritt said. "She'll see to your needs here at Blackmount." The housekeeper turned to the younger woman and ordered, "Prepare her for the king, then deliver her to his receiving room on the ground floor."

Brin bobbed another curtsy. "As you wish, madam." Without another word, Merritt strode back out the door, closing it behind her. Something eased within Kea at the departure of the strict older woman. But then Brinn approached, and she braced all over again.

"Come, my lady," the maid said, placing a gentle hand on Ka's arm and drawing her toward another door off to the side of the room. "We'd best not keep the king waiting."

Ka followed without protest. "Please call me Ka. I'm not a lady, and I'm definitely not Lady Quarantine."

Brenn blinked, a hint of surprise touching her features. "Begging your pardon, my lady, but your royalty."

"I'm not," Ka said quickly as they entered a lavish bathing chamber, the dark clawfoot bathtub already full of steaming water. "My ancestor was a long time ago, but he rightfully lost that title when he stopped serving his people and started hurting them."

The maid's surprise only deepened. "But your sister is the queen of—"

"She stole what was no longer ours to claim," Kea cut Brin off. She then dropped her shoulders and said, "It's a long story, and none of it is enjoyable to relive, so please, just, if you don't mind, I'd really prefer it if you call me Ka."

Brin's silvery eyes locked with Ka's for a long time, much longer than Ka would have thought normal for a submissive maid, especially one at a place like Blackmount. But then a strange light crept into her features, a mixture of wonder and respect with no small amount of curiosity. "Very well, Ka," Brinn said, prompting a faint smile from Ka, her first since leaving Cresta 12 days earlier. "Now, please disrobe and get in the bath."

It was only when Kea was soaking in the tub a few minutes later, allowing the hot water to ease her travel-stiff body, that she dared ask, "Will I be seeing my sister tonight before the king? I'd really—it would be good if I can speak with her first quickly." She added, "Even better. Do you know if my brother is here? Terrell. Did he even know where Ka was and where she'd been?"

Binn paused her scrubbing of Kea's fingernails. "I've been ordered not to answer your questions until Navoc has had a chance to speak with you."

Raising a brow, Kea repeated. "Navak?"

"King Navak," Brin said quickly. "Forgive me."

Kea let the maid's informality slide. "Can you at least tell me when their wedding is?"

There was another pause before Brin bit her lip and said, "I'm sorry, lady. Uh, Ka, I don't wish to speak out of turn." Disappointment flooded Ka, but she understood the maid's reticence. "Never mind," she muttered. "I'll wait and ask the king." That wasn't something Kea looked forward to, but she hadn't traveled this far just to hide in her admittedly opulent bathroom.

As soon as Brinn dubbed Kea clean enough, the maid helped her into a gown made of crimson silk. The outfit was much more formal than anything Kea had worn at the river palace, aside from the night of the masquerade. Both the front and back dipped daringly low, and the split up her leg went nearly to her hip, making her itch to hold the two sides together.

"Is there a cloak I can wear over this?" Kea asked, indicating the amount of bosom and leg on display. Under her breath, she muttered, "You can see the whole of Wenderol in this thing." Her last wasn't said quietly enough, and Brin coughed to hide her laugh, her silvery eyes dancing. But then she sobered and said, "I'm sorry. His majesty requested you wear this." The look on her face told Ka everything she needed to know about the maid's feelings toward the king and how he would react if his orders were disobeyed. Despite Kea's discomfort, she didn't want Brinn to get in trouble for something as trivial as a dress. So she adjusted her amulet as best as she could over her cleavage, drawing a curious look from Brin, who clearly wanted to ask about the Valentis crest, but managed to hold her tongue, and allowed her hair to be styled until it flowed in waves down her back. Only then did Brin step back and say, "Beautiful."

Kea didn't feel beautiful. She felt like a spectacle, a barely clothed spectacle, but she nodded her thanks, wanting to get the meeting with Navoc over with so she could return to her room and plan her next steps. Declaring Kea ready, Brinn led the way out into the castle corridors, beginning a downward spiral. They passed only a handful of people, other maids and manservants dressed in similar black and red attire to Brin, as well as gray-clad soldiers patrolling various hallways or standing at attention beside closed doors.

It was only when they reached a quiet stretch with no one in sight that Brin spoke. "Can I ask that is if you don't mind?" She started then stopped. "Go ahead," Ka invited. "It's just months ago word traveled around that you survived the trial by ordeal and then escaped Zelandov prison," Brenn said haltingly.

"I did," Ka confirmed. "But only because I had help. So, I'm sorry, but how?" Brinn cleared her throat, seeming embarrassed. "I heard that the Gray Guards were sent to retrieve you from there. Is that true?"

"The Gray Guards? A fitting name for Navic soldiers?" Kea thought. "It is," Ka said. She then answered what Brin was struggling to ask. "I'm not sure how much you know about what happened in Eve, but the night my sister stole the throne, there was a lot of collateral damage. She knew I didn't approve of her actions and that I would do whatever it took to set things right again. So, she and Mirin Valentis drugged me and secretly shipped me off in a prison wagon to keep me from helping my friends reclaim their kingdom."

Brin's eyes were wide with shock, and she repeated in question, "Your friends?"

"Jiren Valentis, Prince Steick, I mean," Kea corrected, her heart hurting just saying his name, "and his cousin Calvin, among others." There was a long pause as they descended another flight of obsidian stairs until Brinn asked, "Doesn't being friends with the princes go against everything your family stands for? The Quarantine Valentis feud is legendary."

"I told you it's a long story," Kea said, unable to hide the pain in her voice. But Jiren and Calvin, her throat tightened. "They make it very hard not to love them." When Ka glanced across at Brin, she found the maid watching her as if trying to decide whether or not she was lying. "Trust me," Ka said defensively. "If you met them, you'd understand." But then she remembered that the princes had visited Zadria for diplomatic purposes in the past and she asked, "Have you met them? How long have you worked here?"

"Only a few months," Brin said. "If they visited in that time, then I didn't see them." Before Kea could confirm that neither would have been there, they were both too busy dealing with her drama. First in Zalandov and then later in Valenia, the maid halted before a closed set of double doors with two gray guards standing at either side. She shifted from foot to foot, her gaze darting to the soldiers and away again as if she was debating her next words. Finally, she leaned in close and whispered, "The king is known for his temper. Make sure you curtsy deep and don't rise until he bids you to do so. Don't speak without his permission. Don't hold his gaze for too long or he'll think you're challenging him. Don't leave without his consent. Treat him as you would a wild animal, one that might turn on you at any moment."

Kea had already been nervous about meeting Navoc, but now her insides roiled. "Aren't you coming in with me?" Brin shook her head, her expression apologetic. "One of the gray guards will escort you back to your room when you're done. I'll be waiting for you there." That brought Kea some comfort, but not much. There was something about the maid that she was drawn to—the openness of her features offering a quiet promise that she was on Ka's side, that she could be trusted. But Ka knew better than to trust blindly, especially in a place like Black Mount Castle.

"Go," Brinn urged, signaling to the nearest guard who knocked on the door and proceeded to open it. "You'll be all right. Just remember what I said." Kea swallowed before reminding herself of all that she'd gone through in her 17 years. She could face a king, even a cruel one, especially if it meant she would receive answers. Temper or not, Navik would soon be her brother-in-law, and he had no reason to harm her. She would meet with him, ask her questions, then leave him to his business. With her goals set, Kea steeled her spine and indicated to Brin that she was ready before stepping past the guards and entering the king's receiving room.

Inside, she found the same black, scarlet, and silver colors from floor to ceiling with a roaring fireplace drawing her attention to the far wall. In front of it, and facing away from her, were two dark velvet lounges, one of which was occupied. King Navoc didn't turn at the sound of the soldiers closing the doors behind Ka. All she could see of him was the back of his head. His hair, a burnished bronze, streaked liberally with shades of auburn and copper, making it appear as fiery as the blaze in the hearth.

Unsure of herself, Kea hesitated in the doorway. "Don't be shy," Navick called, still without turning. His voice was smooth and cultured, his accent not as strong as the others Kea had met from his kingdom. "Come closer and let me have a look at you." An unpleasant sensation crawled up Kea's spine, especially when she recalled how Brin had said he'd chosen the revealing gown himself. But she made herself walk forward, moving around the unoccupied lounge until she was standing between Navoc and the fireplace.

Following the maid's instructions, she kept her eyes averted and dipped into a curtsy, painfully aware of the low cut of her dress, and grateful for the Valentis crest hiding what it could of her chest. There was nothing she could do about the split at her leg, the crimson material gaping to near indecent levels. Remembering Brin's warning, Kea maintained her lowered position, gritting her teeth when Navic kept her genuflecting for what felt like an obscene amount of time. She barely kept from shooting him a glare when he finally said, "Rise."

Kea straightened, the fireplace at her back, close enough for her to feel its burning caress. She didn't move forward since that would bring her closer to Navoc. Nor did she take a seat on the second lounge, waiting for his permission to do so. Permission he failed to give. When Ka lifted her gaze to meet his, going against Brin's advice, she found his eyes roaming over her, causing her skin-crawling feeling to deepen. But rather than focus on it, she stared right back, fighting to hide her reaction as she took in his black-clothed form lounging on the velvet chaise.

If Ka had given any thought to what the Kildarian ruler might look like, she would have envisioned angry eyes and hard features, someone who was as unattractive on the outside as he was said to be on the inside. But Navic was not that. Even reclined, she could see he had a strong, healthy physique with broad shoulders and a muscled frame. And his face. Kea pressed her lips together, irrationally annoyed that the cruel northern king looked like that. His eyes were light brown, bordered by thick lashes, his fiery hair making them stand out in his striking face. His square jaw dusted with auburn stubble. He wasn't classically handsome. He was something more than that. Rugged, wild, dangerous.

"Well, aren't you a pretty little thing?" He finally drawled, swirling amber liquid in a crystal chalice. Kea's eyes narrowed and she bit her tongue to keep from saying anything that might get her tossed into his dungeon. "Where's Zelica?" she asked.

Navoc didn't answer. The bare skin on Kea's back was beginning to feel unpleasantly warm, but she remained in place, ignoring the crackling flames behind her. Unable to bear his silence, she pressed, "Can I speak with her?" That elicited a reaction from Navic, his lips curling with amusement. "The last time you encountered your sister, she banished you to Zalandov. Are you so keen for a rematch?"

Ka crossed her arms before realizing the move only amplified her cleavage, so she quickly returned them to her sides. "I'm here now, aren't I? You had your guards drag me out of prison for your wedding, and I'd like to know why."

Navick tilted his head to the side and repeated, "My wedding? Yours and Zelika's?"

Kea said, growing impatient, unable to rein in her sarcasm, she added. "Congratulations, you found yourself a real catch. When's the happy day?" A bark of laughter left the king, the sound causing alarm bells to ring in Kea's ears. He placed his chalice on the stand beside his seat and rose gracefully, striding forward until he was right in front of her. She fought the urge to back away, partly because she didn't want to seem cowed, and partly because she had nowhere to go, the fireplace blocking her escape.

"She didn't tell you, did she?" Navik said, his eyes bright with mirth. "You really have no idea." The alarm bells grew louder until they were all Kea could hear. "Tell me what," she managed to ask. Some part of her already knowing, even if she couldn't believe it, didn't want to believe it.

"I'm not marrying your sister," King Navik said, a dark, amused grin stretching across his face. "I'm marrying you."

Chapter 6.

For a long moment, Ka couldn't string a thought together, her mind frozen in the wake of Navok's declaration. But then everything inside her sped up as panic set in, her heart pounding as she tried to recall the conversation she'd had with Zelica in the dungeon beneath the river palace. "Are you marrying King Navoc?" Kea had asked incredulously. "Was that part of the deal?"

"Mother didn't know about the royal turner. She didn't know there might be another legitimate way," her sister had replied defensively before sharing the plan to ally the rebels with Miran's forces. All to help them conquer Eveon and guarantee a Quarantine would sit on the throne, even if that Quarantine was married to a Kildaren. It was only now that Ka realized what hadn't been said. Zelica had never confirmed that she was the daughter their mother had promised to Navoc during her god's deal. She skirted Ka's question entirely, offering no clue as to what might await Ka should the northern king get his hands on her.

"You look shocked," Navick said, breaking into Ka's spiraling thoughts. "She wasn't shocked, she was horrified." In all fairness, he went on, "Tilda did come here seeking to unite me with your sister, but I could see her desperation in wanting to reach you. So, it didn't take much for me to uncover her belief that you were the more powerful of her daughters, and therefore the only one I was willing to bind myself to." He laughed. "Why in the everworld she thought I'd accept anything but the best? I'll never know."

Quick as a flash, Navic reached out and traced his fingers down Kea's cheek. She reared away from his touch, moving dangerously close to the fireplace, causing his humor to grow. Needing some distance, Ka edged around the lounge, feeling immediate relief now that she wasn't at risk of catching a light and now that she wasn't so close to the king. To her betrothed gods, she was going to be sick.

"There's been a mistake," Ka said hoarsely. "I'm not more powerful than Zelica. Not even close. Whatever deal you made, it's already done." Navic waved a dismissive hand before reclaiming his chalice and taking a sip. "All the arrangements are in place. We're to wed in two days."

"Two days?" Kea swayed on the spot. Navoc prowled close again, moving like lightning to flick the amulet at her chest. "Zelica wrote me and said she wishes for you to keep this. A reminder, she claimed. But I don't obey your sister, and I don't enjoy seeing you wear my enemy's crest." His gaze darkened. "You have until we're husband and wife. Then I never want to see this again. Is that clear?"

Kea stared at him, unable to process everything or anything. Somehow she managed to croak out. "Is Zelica coming for the for the everworld helper?" She couldn't even say the word now that she knew her role in it.

Navic smirked. "For the wedding. No, your sister is in Valenia cleaning up the mess she made. Unsurprisingly, she's having some trouble keeping her new citizens in line. And since I'm sure you're wondering, your brother has no idea where you are, let alone any knowledge about our upcoming nuptials."

Kea's heart fell at the confirmation. Her hopes dashed. "My sister will be coming here for it though," Navick continued. "She's on her way from Terth with her betrothed Foschelle. I sent her to be with his family for the spring, but they're due to return tomorrow, just in time to witness our auspicious day."

Despite everything, Ka's brow furrowed. "I thought once Mirren was queen, you agreed to release your sister from her betrothal so they could be together."

Navic sipped his drink again, eyeing Ka over the rim. "Saraphene is better off with Voschelle."

Ka's eyes narrowed. "You mean Mirraven is better off bound to Caramore by marriage?" As much as she hated Mirin for what she'd done, Ka still felt a hint of sympathy for how devastated the princess must be, having betrayed her whole family to be with her love, only for Navoc to have reneged on his side of the deal.

The king shrugged his broad shoulders, but his gaze was cunning as he answered, "We are all pawns in the game of life. My sister understands what her value is. Just as she knows what her sacrifice will do for our kingdom. Vosel is a weak prince. Saraphene is a weaker princess. When they are king and queen, they'll look to me for guidance. It'll be as if I'm running their kingdom. Miran, Garamore, Eveon, Wendall's three largest powers, all under my thumb. The other nations will have no choice but to fall in line."

There was a glint in his eyes as if he had greater plans than what he was sharing. But he revealed nothing else. Ka was so stunned by his intentions that she could only say. "You don't have Avalon yet. It's as good as mine."

He returned. "Kea doubled down. "Their armies won't allow an invasion. You forget your sister rules those armies now. And if they don't yield to her, then her rebels will clear their way. She shook her head. Jiren and Calden will stop you. Ashlin, too." Calvin's sister was the general of Evelyn's forces. From everything Ka had heard, there was no way she'd allow Miran to succeed.

Navick grinned. "I'd like to see them try." Kea changed tactics. "You don't know Zelica. You speak of pawns, but now that she has the crown, she'll never give it up."

The dark look in Navik's eyes deepened. "She won't have a choice." He downed the last of his liquor. "Whether she acknowledges it or not, your sister is merely keeping my new throne warm." Kea snorted. Clearly, the king had yet to witness Zelica's death magic. Once he did, maybe then he would realize he'd chosen the wrong sister to tie himself to.

"I can see this amuses you," Navick said. "If you think I'm unaware of your sister's skills, then you're sorely mistaken. But I'm not without my own weapons, one of which is you, my dear bride." Any humor Kea felt vanished at the reminder. Before she could ask what he meant, he continued, his tone lightening. "Speaking of which, I have a wedding gift for you." He curled his fingers around her elbow, hurting her forward. "Come with me," he said, uncaring that she was trying to tug her way free. "I think you'll like this."

Giving her no choice, Navic escorted her from his receiving room. The two gray guards who had been stationed outside the doors, falling into step behind them. Kea still had so many questions. But after everything she just learned, her mind had gone blank, switching to survival mode. During their entire walk through the castle and down lengthy stone staircases, she remained silent, gathering her thoughts and her courage for whatever the king was leading her toward. Only when they were deep underground did Ka begin struggling anew because she now realized where Navoc was taking her. The dungeons.

"Settle," he murmured, tightening his grip. "I told you I have a wedding gift for you. We won't stay long. Once you've met him, we'll leave again."

"Him?" Kea stopped trying to free herself. Her curiosity and her dread peaked. After navigating a complicated labyrinth of cold stone corridors and passing numerous gray guards patrolling more cells than Ka had ever seen in one place, including Zalandov, Navoc finally came to a stop. In front of them was a set of rusty iron bars leading to a small space lit by a single aluminum lantern affixed to the obsidian wall. In the corner of the cell was a thin pallet piled high with raggedy blankets, or so Kea thought, until those blankets moved. Suddenly, there was a man forming out of them, standing slowly as he realized he had company. He'd been roughed up by the guards, his weathered face modeled with bruises and swelling, and he was swaying unsteadily on his feet. To Ka's relief, there was nothing familiar about him. Not his greasy shoulder-length dark hair with hints of gray, nor the unkempt beard that grew on his square jaw. His soulful brown eyes, however, were locked on hers and wide with shock.

"Ka," he rasped, his deep voice barely audible from lack of use. Unconsciously, Kea stepped backwards, but she was halted by Navak's hand. "Allow me to introduce you to Galddrich Shaw," the king said, his handsome features entertained as he watched for her reaction. "As you may be aware, he was a close acquaintance of your mother's. He'll be able to tell you anything you wish to know about her from the 10 years you were parted." Navic gestured to the bruised man with his free hand. "Consider him yours to interrogate at your leisure."

Kea gaped at the man, now realizing exactly who he was, the once leader of the rebels, her mother's mentor and friend. She couldn't believe he was standing before her, mostly because he was meant to be dead. Galdrich was the first to realize she was gone, and he went after her, probably trying to stop her, Terrell had said when revealing how Tilda had snuck out of the rebel camp to head to Miran, but he never came back. All they found was his cloak covered in blood. Tor and Zelica had assumed Galdrich had been killed by Tilda, claiming she wasn't in her right mind toward the end. But whether or not Tilda had attacked him, he'd clearly survived, after which he must have followed her all the way to Zadria. Kea did a quick mental calculation, deducing that Tilda had arrived at Zalandov 6 months ago. That meant Galdrich had been locked in Navik's dungeon for half a year, presumed dead by the rebels, with no hope of freedom.

"Is it really you?" Galdrich croaked out, staggering closer to the bars. His gaze remained locked on hers. And then he whispered, "It is. You have your mother's eyes." All the breath fled Kea as she realized this man had known her mother better than perhaps anyone. He knew how Tilda had changed from a woman who had never wanted to touch her magic to someone who had used it freely to heal others and then to the person who had succumbed to evil and become a monster. He'd witnessed her at every point in the journey. He had answers to questions Ka didn't know how to begin asking. But she also didn't want to ask anything with an audience present and especially not with Navic listening in.

"I'd like to speak with him alone, please," Kea said, her throat tight.

"Not tonight," the king said. He began to pull her away. "No, wait. Not tonight," he repeated, his voice firm. "You've had a long journey. Rest up. Then you can visit him again tomorrow." Ka looked over her shoulder, finding Galdrich's steady gaze on her as she was towed down the corridor. He didn't call out, didn't beg to be released, but there was a promise in his expression. There was also pain. It wasn't from his bruises. It was from seeing her. Whatever he felt when he looked at her hurt him. Whether that was because of what her mother had done or perhaps because of how much he missed his friend, there was no doubting the connection he shared with Tilda. Nor was there any doubting how much he longed to speak with Ka. Tomorrow, Navak had said she could wait one more day. But as she was dragged back up the many staircases toward her room, she knew she couldn't wait any longer than that because in 2 days she would be forced to marry. And that meant she needed to be long gone from Black Mount Castle before she was bound to its king forever.

Chapter 7.

Brin was waiting in Ka's bedroom when Navic pushed her through the door and left without saying anything. Clearly, her husband-to-be wasn't interested in wooing her. But Ka already knew he only wanted her for one thing, a blood tie to Eve's throne, or perhaps two things, as he seemed to think she was a weapon he could wield against her sister. That wasn't going to work in his favor. She was almost tempted to linger at Blackmount, if only to witness his inevitable confrontation with Zelica. But that temptation was nowhere near strong enough for her to risk having to marry him. No, Ka's priority was to escape the castle and put as much distance between herself and Miraban as possible.

"You're very pale, lady. Uh, Ka," Brinn said, rushing to meet Ka in the doorway and guiding her toward the bed. Her silvery gaze was alert and concerned as she asked, "Did he hurt you?" Ka was both curious and alarmed by the question. Brinn had warned that Navoc was known for his temper, but the idea of him being physically violent hadn't crossed Kea's mind.

"No, I'm fine," she answered, slumping down onto the velvety blankets and resisting the urge to hug a cushion in comfort. Now wasn't the time to dwell on her feelings, or to wonder why her mother had offered her to Navic on a platter. Her emotions and questions could come later. What she needed now was a plan. She also needed Brin to leave since, despite her intuition saying she could trust the maid, the danger of her being an informant was too high.

Sensing that Brin was about to ask what had happened in Navik's receiving room, Kea quickly said, "It's been a long day. I'd like to be alone." Brin grimaced down at the blood red carpet. "I'm sorry, but Madame Merritt told me to remain with you just in case you need anything in the night." She indicated a pallet Ka hadn't noticed set up on the far side of the lavish room. "I promise you won't know I'm here unless you call for me." No wonder Kea hadn't been locked in her quarters, something she'd wondered both times she'd been left there. Brin would know the moment she tried to sneak out.

Kea muttered a curse, but then made herself take a deep breath, mentally acknowledging that it was late and her mind was too muddled to figure anything out right now. She still needed to speak with Galdrich tomorrow, so she would have to wait until after that to make a move anyway. And then then what? Kea asked herself. Even if she did escape Black Mount Castle, which the female guard had said was impossible, what was her next move? She needed to return to Avalon, but she might as well try to reach the moon for how far away her home kingdom seemed.

"Begging your pardon," Brin said, cutting into Kea's grim thoughts. "But I," she stopped herself with a sheepish look before trying again. "I've been told I'm far too curious for a maid. It's my worst trait." She fiddled with her fingers, then summoned the courage to ask. "You didn't know about the marriage, did you? You asked earlier when their wedding was. You didn't realize it was yours." The maid might be curious, but she was also shrewd.

"I had no idea," Kea admitted. "I thought he was marrying my sister."

"It's good news though, isn't it?" Brenn asked, her words sounding hopeful, but her expression strangely piercing. "You're a Quarantine. Your family now rules Abalon. Marrying King Nabok will join the two kingdoms by blood."

Kea shook her head wearily. "I told you earlier, my sister stole the crown. It doesn't belong to us. The sooner the Valentis family is back on the throne, the better. And trust me, the last thing I want is to marry someone like Navoc. He can scheme as much as he wants, but I'll never help him take Avalon." Kea shut her mouth quickly, remembering who she was speaking with, but then realized it didn't matter. Navoc already knew her feelings. Airing them to the maid couldn't make her situation any worse.

Brin's gaze remained piercing, and she eyed Ka for a long moment before declaring, "You really mean that, don't you?"

"With every part of me," Kea scrubbed a hand over her face. "I'm tired, Brin. Can we not?"

"Of course. I apologize," the maid said, hurrying to the wardrobe and returning with a clean set of night clothes. "I'll turn down the bed for you. You'll need your rest for all that's ahead." Bin had no idea. But as much as Kea wanted a fresh mind for the challenges of the next day, after she slipped beneath the blankets, it still took hours of tossing and turning before she finally drifted off into an exhausted sleep.

A loud pounding on the door woke Kea the next morning. She shot up in bed, feeling as if she'd barely had a minute's sleep, her thoughts like cobwebs. Through hazy eyes, she watched Brin hurry to answer it, but the door swung open before she reached it, and King Navoc walked straight through. Kea had a split second to consider her reaction, feeling vulnerable in bed. She wanted to stand, but she recalled her silky attire and hated the thought of being on display before him. She tugged the blankets up to her chin, shooting him a glare that told him exactly what she thought of his early morning visit. Brinn, Ka noticed, had pressed herself into the wall, her gaze lowered and her posture tense as if she hoped to melt into the nearest tapestry. Kea wanted to do the same herself.

"You're still in bed," Navick observed. Even knowing it was unwise, Ka couldn't help baiting him. "Am I? Are you sure?" The king was no less attractive in the light of day, even while scowling at her.

"Get up," he ordered. He spun on his heel and called over his shoulder. "If you're not in the throne room in half an hour, I'll return for you. And believe me, you don't want that to happen." He disappeared out the door, gone as fast as he'd appeared.

Kea released a shaky breath, then pulled herself out of bed as Brin approached. "I should have woken you," the maid said, wringing her hands. "But you had such trouble sleeping, and I—"

"It's not your fault," Ka assured her. "Do you know what he wants?" The wedding, she choked on the word, "isn't until tomorrow." Brinn gathered fresh clothes for Ka and bustled her into the bathing chamber. "It could be anything. His sister and Prince Rochelle are due to return today. Perhaps they're already here and he wishes for you to meet them."

Ka hoped that was it. She was curious about the royals, especially the woman Mirren had fallen in love with. But even so, the disruption would be costly. Every minute she lost was another it would take for her to find a way to flee the castle. Brin was efficient in helping Ka don another gown, this one black. The material clung to her flesh, emphasizing the curves she was slowly beginning to regain and the hint of muscle she was working to build.

"Are there any normal clothes I could wear?" Kea asked, frowning at yet another lewd slit up her leg. Aside from that, she was grateful not to have as much flesh on display this time, though the bodice did stretch diagonally across her chest and up over one of her shoulders, leaving the other bare.

"I'm sorry," Brinn said. "His majesty—"

"Let me guess. He chose it himself?" Kea sighed.

"Just wait until you see what he picked for your wedding gown," the maid muttered, her tone full of disgust as she began working on Ka's hair. The words prompted a sick feeling inside Ka, but the way they were said gave her pause. "You don't like Navic much, do you?"

Instead of looking afraid and jumping to his defense, Brin surprised Kea by snorting. "He's not the kind of person who inspires likability. Not even his sister enjoys his company. And she's the sweetest, kindest person you'll ever meet. If that doesn't tell you everything you need to know about him, then nothing will." Kea's respect for the maid was growing by the second. Carefully, she asked. "You said last night that you've only been here for a few months. Has he done anything to make you have that opinion of him?"

Binn stilled her fingers and shifted around to meet Ka's eyes. "No, nothing like that. He indicated her maid's outfit. Dressed like this, I might as well be a piece of the furniture. I could be his longlost mother, and he wouldn't know because he's never deigned to so much as look at me. In his mind, servants are beneath him, so he treats us as such, like we don't exist." Her eyes turned mischievous as she shared. "There have been too many times where I've been cleaning his rooms and he's continued meetings, unaware that I was even there. You would not believe the things I've heard."

As if she hadn't just admitted to having potentially treasonous knowledge, Brin returned to Kea's hair, styling it into a complicated updo with glittery beads placed intricately among the layers. "Isn't it a bit much?" Kea asked weakly, looking in the mirror.

"You're betrothed to a king," Brin said, hustling her from the bathing chamber back into the bedroom where a breakfast platter brimming with fruits and pastries had been delivered. "This is nothing." Ka pulled a face before turning to the food. She had no appetite, but since her plans that day included escape, she knew she should fuel up for the long journey back to Avalon. Ignoring her queasy stomach, she consumed a full meal, finishing only when Brinn declared it was time to leave. The maid then guided her through the castle once more, both of them remaining silent as they walked, lost in their own thoughts.

"Any warnings this time?" Kea asked as they approached a large set of gilded doors with yet another pair of gray guards standing like statues on either side. Instead of answering, Brinn touched a finger to the amulet Ka wore around her neck. A bold move on Ka's part since the king had already expressed his displeasure regarding it. But he'd given her until their wedding to wear it, and she didn't care if she was flaunting her true loyalties in his face.

"I've heard tales about the Valentis crest," Bren said. "Claims that it can hold protective magic."

"It can," Kea confirmed, "but it's drained. There's no power in it right now." Brin's face tightened. "Then, to answer your question, all the warnings I gave you last night and any others you can think of, Navic might look pretty, but he's dangerous and whatever he wants with you." The maid shook her head. "Just be careful, Kea. He won't tolerate disobedience, not even from his betrothed."

Seeing Brin's serious expression, Kea's stomach clenched. "You'd better get in there," the maid said, though she looked unhappy about leaving Ka alone. "I'll be waiting in your room when you're done." While Kea appreciated the solidarity, her mind jumped to the possibility of sneaking away between seeing Navoc and returning to her quarters. Perhaps she could offer an excuse to her guard escort. And then, "Galdrich," Kea remembered, swearing inwardly. She still needed to visit the dungeons before she could leave. Foiled for now, she turned from Brin and walked toward the gray guards who opened the doors at her gesture. Her insides fluttered as she strode down a scarlet carpet runner that covered black marble tiles and traveled the length of the room all the way up to a raised obsidian dais holding a crimson and silver throne. Numerous banners hung from the ceiling, each with a red background and a black panther standing on its hind legs, claws striking and teeth snarling. On the wall behind the throne was the Kildarian crest, the same panther paired with its mirror opposite, both facing a shield with two swords crossed in the center. Large arched windows interrupted the other walls, all looking down the mountain toward the city.

The view captured Ka's attention for the briefest of moments before her eyes locked with Navvice, the king seated on his throne and watching her every move. "You took your time," he said when she halted in front of him. She held his gaze and didn't curtsy. "I'm not late."

Navick didn't move, one elbow resting casually on the arm of the crimson velvet, his fist pressed to his cheek, his legs stretched out in front of him. Despite his relaxed posture, there was a tension about him enough that Kea instinctively backed up a step. A smile curled his lips, as if her reaction pleased him. "I want to see what you can do," he said. "Show me."

Kea blinked. "Pardon?"

Navic waved a hand toward her. "Your magic," he clarified. "I wish to see it now."

A disbelieving laugh bubbled up from Kea. "Just like that."

The king's brown eyes narrowed. "I won't ask again."

Kea's humor fled and she crossed her arms over her chest. "Are you injured? Sick?"

"No."

"Then what, pretel, would you have me heal?" Her voice revealed how foolish she thought his request was.

Navick's expression darkened. "Last chance, my bride."

Kea scowled and couldn't keep from snapping. "Don't call me that. And I'm not going to use my magic for you. Even if I wanted to, which I don't, that's not how it works."

The king rose and moved toward her so fast that she scrambled away, but he was quicker, grabbing her forearm and ending her retreat. His grip was like a steel band around her flesh, enough that she whimpered, feeling her bones crunch together. "We don't know each other well yet, so let me make something clear," he said, leaning in close to hiss the words into her ear. "When I tell you to do something, you do it. You don't argue, you obey."

"Is that understood?"

His fingers tightened enough that tears burned Kea's eyes, but she clenched her teeth, refusing to let him see her pain. "I asked you a question." His voice was low, menacing. "Answer me."

Despite the fear flooding her, Kea replied, "I thought I wasn't supposed to argue." She knew it was unwise, but she'd faced too much in her life to be bullied by a power-hungry king. Navic was to be her husband, regardless that she had no intention of going through with the marriage, and misguided or not, he'd already admitted to needing her for his inevitable confrontation with Zelica. That meant she should be safe from him, relatively speaking.

Hearing her response, the king released her, affording her a moment of smug satisfaction. But then he raised his arm and backhanded her across the face. There was so much power behind his blow that Kea cried out and fell to her knees, her hand coming up to cover her cheek, her eyes watering all over again. Vaguely, she noticed the handprint-shaped bruise already blossoming on her forearm, but her more immediate concern was the throbbing beneath her eye. The skin over her cheekbone instantly beginning to stretch and swell.

"Get up," Navick ordered, merciless. Kea bit her tongue to keep from saying something that would make her situation worse, and shakily stood. "Now heal yourself," he commanded.

Kea shook her head, not because she was denying him again. She wasn't stupid, but because her magic wouldn't work on her own body. "I can't. It won't."

"You still refuse me?" Navick interrupted, incredulous. He didn't wait for her reply before moving back to his throne. There he rang a bell, then took his seat again before saying, "It would seem you need more motivation." The look on his face told Kea that he was past the point of listening, even if she tried to explain. She wondered how far she would get if she attempted to flee the throne room.

But before she could take a single step, the doors opened and a man walked through them, his skin and hair dark, his eyes like bottomless black pits. The man greeted the king in Mirish, bowing deep. Like Navoc, he wore black from head to toe. But unlike the king, whose outfit was formal and edged with crimson embroidery, the man's attire was more like the leather armor Nari would wear, only without any visible weapons. A jakoa gandara.

"Rise," Navick told him in the common tongue. "Tkea," Navick said, his voice conversational enough that it was as if he'd forgotten that he'd just struck her. "This is Zuru. He has a particular skill set that I find valuable when it comes to my enemies, and it would seem my disobedient bride."

Kea swallowed, wondering again whether she should risk fleeing. But Navic anticipated her thoughts and called to his gray guards, summoning them into the room and ordering them to stand beside the inner doors, blocking her escape. The king then spoke to Zuru in a string of Mirish. The look of anticipation that filled the new man's features caused a coil of apprehension to twist in Ka's middle. Turning back to Ka, Navik said, "My patience has run out. Show me your magic or you'll leave me no choice but to force it from you."

"Good luck with that," Kea thought. But she knew better than to speak this time and only nodded and raised her hands. She wouldn't be able to heal herself, but she could still obey his request and show him proof of her magic, thereby avoiding Zuru and his skill set. But Kea had never tried to summon her power without needing to heal someone. And the last time she'd attempted it to heal Cresta in the abyss, nothing had happened. Now wasn't the time to doubt herself. So she clenched her jaw against the pain radiating down her face and called to the magic in her blood. Just a hint of golden light. That's all she needed to show him. Then he would leave her alone.

Sweat trickled down Kea's spine as she sought to draw her power out. But it was as if it was ignoring her, refusing to rise to the surface. almost like it knew there was nothing to heal, or even if there was, that it wanted no part in it. "Please," Ka whispered inwardly, dreading what the king might have Zuru do to her if she didn't comply. "Please." It felt like a century passed while she tried to coax her power out to no effect. She was just about to offer some pleading excuse to Navoc when suddenly she felt it. A tingling in her fingertips, a warming of her hands, and then the slightest tinge of golden light glimmering from her palms. It was nothing compared to the blinding radiance of a full healing, but it was evidence that she had magic, and she looked triumphantly at the king before it spluttered out into nothing.

He cocked an eyebrow. "Is that it?"

Kea remained silent, unwilling to court his wrath again. "Your mother claimed you were powerful, incomparably so. And you give me what? A little bit of a glow." Navic snorted. "Pathetic." He jerked his chin at Zuru, speaking to him in Mirish again, then turned back to Ka and finished. "Seems you need that motivation after all."

That was the only warning Ka received before Zuru raised his hands and thrust them forward. She would have thought the move ridiculous if not for the fireball that appeared out of nowhere and shot toward her. Three thoughts came to Ka as the flames reached her. Zuru had elemental magic. He was an anomaly and she was burning.

Chapter 8.

Ka barely had time to spin and duck before Zuru's magic collided with her. The fireball slamming into her bare shoulder from behind. The damage would have been considerably worse had it hit her straight on. Instead, it only glanced off her flesh, but the searing pain came instantly, causing her to scream and curl in on herself. Her body quaked as she swiveled her neck to inspect the damage, but all she could see was Kea gagged at the sight of her scorched, blistering flesh.

"That looks uncomfortable," said Navoc. And Kea pivoted back to face him, tears trailing down her cheeks. "Heal yourself, and you'll be all better."

The agony was enough that Ka struggled to think, let alone respond. Through clenched teeth, she bit out, "I can't. You best."

"Do you want to feel that again?" the king interrupted. "Because Zuru can keep going all day." The fire-wielding anomaly grinned and summoned another flame to dance between his fingers. Kea flinched, the motion tugging at both her burned skin and her still throbbing cheekbone. Though the pain in her face was nothing compared to the ache spreading across her shoulder and upper back. "if you would just listen. What's it going to take for you to obey me?"

Navic interrupted her again, leaning forward on his throne. He jerked his chin at Zuru and said, "Again." The anomaly's grin widened, and he wound back his arm, preparing to launch the flames toward Ka once more.

"No!" she cried, her voice cracking as she raised both of her hands protectively. "What in the ever world is going on in here?"

At the soft, feminine voice, Zuru peered beyond Kea and swiftly extinguished his magic. She followed his gaze to find a young woman striding into the throne room, accompanied by a young man, both dressed in elegant travel clothes. "Nav," the girl pressed, her auburn hair darker than the king's and glimmering with sun-kissed streaks, her eyes a calming shade of pale green. Everything about her was delicate, from her porcelain skin to her pixie-like features. Her companion was the opposite, though no less striking. His skin was a rich dark brown, his body lean, but with clear muscle definition. his black hair cropped short with a gold circlet at his brow. He painted such an alluring picture that even in her pained state, Ka had trouble taking her eyes from him.

"This doesn't concern you, Sarah," Navick replied, proving what Kea had assumed. The newcomers were his sister and her betrothed.

"Is that the greeting you offer her after manipat?" Voschelle asked. His faintly accented voice deep and honeyed and simmering with anger. Kea was surprised. The look on the prince's face didn't indicate any of the weakness Navoc had implied. Rather, Voselle's features were hard as he eyed the Miran king.

"Don't bother, Vos," Sarapin said weakly, laying her hand on his arm. "I'd rather know what we walked in on when we—" She broke off in a gasp when Kea turned slightly, unintentionally revealing her burn. Saraphene had been walking casually toward the throne, but the moment she caught sight of Kea's wound, she quickened enough that her travel cloak fanned out behind her. She only slowed when she noted the look of fear that Kea failed to hide. "It's all right," Saraphene said soothingly. "Once she was close enough, she tried to get a better look at the damage, but Ka edged away from her, weary and uncertain."

"Did you do that?" Kea thought Voschelle's enraged words were aimed at her, but then she realized he was still glaring at Navoc, even fiercer than before. The king's eyes flared in warning, but his tone was light, even bored, when he said, "My clumsy bride tripped and fell into a luminium lantern. It looks worse than it is."

Saraphene's eyes locked onto Kea's hot, throbbing cheek and narrowed into slits. "And what of her face, brother?" the princess asked, her tone still soft, but there was a lethal edge to it that Kea hadn't expected. "Did the aluminium lantern do that, too?" She indicated the handprint bruise on Kea's forearm. "And that."

Navick's jaw tightened. "As I said, she's clumsy." Zuru was nodding at his side. Kea hated them both.

Saraphene raised her chin. "Clumsy or not, my sister-to-be is hurt. I'll see her to her room and make sure her wounds are treated."

An odd thing happened. Then Navk laughed. It wasn't a humor-filled sound, but something mean and spiteful. It had Saraphene visibly tensing, as if she regretted her choice of words. "Still looking to fill that space after all these years," Navick asked in a taunting voice, "I should have known my wedding would bring you more joy than me." He sent a lascivious look toward Ka and added, "Though the wedding night shouldn't disappoint. At least that's one thing I can look forward to tomorrow." A pointed pause. "If I can wait that long." It wasn't just Kea's shoulder that was burning now as dread and loathing seared through her veins.

"No one is forcing you to get married," Vosel told Navik, his mouth twisting with distaste. "And that's your intended you're talking about. Have a care with your words."

Navoc sent him a haughty look. "Or what, Vos?" The Kamore prince didn't stand down as Navic had clearly anticipated. "Or you and I will have more problems than we already do," Vosel stated.

The king leaned back in his throne, eyeing his ally thoughtfully. His expression turned calculating as he mused. "It seems something has happened since we last spoke."

"Indeed," Voselle said shortly. "We have much to discuss." His gaze swept the room from the trembling Ka to the eager-eyed Zuru, and he finished in private. Navak's interest was piqued, even if he couldn't quite hide his annoyance. Whether because he could no longer torture Ka or because Voschelle wasn't acting like a weak-willed fool, Ka didn't know, nor did she care. Because the longer she stood there, the more her desire to throw up or pass out deepened.

Sensing her growing anguish, Saraphene turned kind eyes to her and said, "Come, we need to see to your wounds." Kea didn't dare look back at Navoc as the princess carefully wrapped a supportive arm around her waist and led her from the throne room. Every slow step was agony, her shoulder on fire, her face throbbing. She just needed to make it to her room, Kea told herself. Then she needed to get rid of the princess and somehow get Brin to leave, too. Then she had to find her way down to Galdrich. And then she needed to escape. Kea whimpered at the thought of how impossible all of that seemed without her having become so injured that she could barely walk unassisted. But she refused to let hopelessness overwhelm her. There was no alternative. She absolutely had to be gone from Blackmount before she was forced to set foot anywhere near an altar.

As they ascended their second staircase, Ka's burn became so excruciating that she was desperate for something to take her mind off it. She said, perhaps unwisely, "I know about you and Mirren." When the princess tensed at her side, she went on more hesitantly. "I'm sorry about Voschelle."

Saraphene relaxed again and sent a small but genuine smile to Ka. "Boschelle is a good man. I feel worse for him than for me. He deserves someone who can love him in a way that I can't."

"You deserve that too," Ka said. Even if she despised Mirren for her betrayal, she could still understand why the Valentis Princess had allied with Zulika. Love made fools of them all.

"Merie and I. Saraphene shook her head sadly. We're not meant to be." There was a deep sorrow in her voice, one that was mirrored in her expression. Ka's heart went out to her and she asked, "I heard the betroal was your brother's idea. Why go through with it?"

Saraphene sighed. "You wouldn't understand."

"Maybe not," Ka said. "But I'd like to." If anything, the princess only looked more miserable. "He's all I have left in the world. If I disobey him," she shuddered slightly against Kea. But then something changed in her, as if she suddenly remembered she was speaking to Navik's intended bride. "He's not always terrible. He can be he can be very protective, possessive, more like," Kea thought bitterly. "and he rewards those who are loyal to him." Saraphene went on as if listing Navk's qualities would make Ka forgive how he treated her, tortured her.

"He's also incredibly ambitious and goal-oriented enough to want to conquer kingdoms that don't belong to him," Kea muttered.

Saraphene stiffened again, and this time she didn't relax. Her voice lowered as she said, "I'm not defending what he did to you. He has a temper, but he doesn't usually get physical. What he did was wrong in every possible way. But I just," she glanced away, the green in her eyes dulling. In an emotion-clogged voice, she shared, "Late at night, when the world is asleep, I stare up at the stars and dream of how different things might be in another life. I dream of the family I wish I had, of the freedom I long to feel. I dream of someone loving me enough to save me from all of this." She looked down at her feet. "Voselle isn't who I hoped for, but he'll take care of me. And I know this won't make sense to you, but I'll be making my brother happy. That means something to me, even if I wish it didn't." She turned her sad gaze to Kea and repeated, "It's all I have left."

Despite Saraphene's assumption, Kea did understand and worse, could relate. She knew the strength of family bonds, how they could influence beliefs and actions. Saraphene had lost her mother at a young age and her father much more recently. If she went against Navic's wishes, she risked losing him too, leaving her all alone. Ka could appreciate that fear more than most. And while part of her wanted to shake Saraphene and tell her to stand up to her brother, the other part wanted to wrap her in an embrace and say that everything would be all right, even if they both knew it was a lie.

"You know," the princess said as they finally approached Kea's bedroom, her voice deliberately bright, as if she wanted to forget their conversation up until now. "I just realized we were never properly introduced."

"I think we're beyond introductions," Ka said, biting back a moan when she felt a renewed surge of pain. Saraphene hummed with agreement. "Despite the circumstances, I'm looking forward to getting to know you." Kea quarantined. Her words were heartfelt and honest. Quietly, she added, "I promise it won't all be bad. And I also promise to help you every step of the way."

Ka was quickly coming to understand why Saraphene was so beloved. It was impossible not to be drawn to her gentle spirit and sincere kindness. What Navik considered Saraphene's weakness, Ka considered her strength. But regardless, she had no intention of remaining in Miran long enough to take the princess up on her offer. "Thank you," Kea said, not revealing her plans. "I'll need all the help I can get." The smile Saraphene sent her was toothachingly sweet. "Let's get you inside and resting," she said as they reached the bedroom door. "I'll find Madame Merritt and have her send for a healer."

Ka quickly considered her options and said, "Bin can do that." If the maid was given a reason to be out of the room, Ka could leave undetected. No pain in the world would stop her from taking advantage of that opportunity. "Brin," Saraphene asked as they stepped through the doorway. "My lady's maid," Ka answered, looking up to see the girl in question, frozen on the far side of the room. "She was hard to make out, hidden in the shadows beside the now open curtains, but her silhouette was familiar enough for Kea to recognize her.

"Goodness, my lady, you're hurt," Brinnick exclaimed before speeding toward the bathing chamber and disappearing inside. From there, she yelled back to them. "I'll get some clean linens."

"Lady Kea requires a healer," Saraphene called to Brin, helping Ka to her bed. "I'll see to that at once, your highness," the maid replied loud enough for them to hear. She didn't reappear though, and Saraphene frowned in her direction.

"Please, Princess," Kea said, caring little about Brin's lack of etiquette. "You must be exhausted from your travels. Thank you for helping me back here, but Brin can see to me now." She needed Saraphene to leave before the maid went for a healer, otherwise the princess might feel obligated to remain.

"As your brother said, it looks worse than it is." Kea was lying, and Saraphene knew as much, but the princess only shifted uneasily and said, "Are you sure?"

"You've given me too much of your time already," Ka insisted. It was obvious the princess wanted to stay, whether out of concern or because she herself wanted the company. But thankfully she took the hint and began to move toward the door. "If you need me, please don't hesitate to have your maid come and get me," Saraphene offered. She sent a dubious look toward the bathing chamber, clearly doubting Brin's competence and murmured. "Or perhaps send someone else."

Ka almost smiled. "I will. Thank you." She wanted to say how nice it was to have met her and that she hoped things worked out with Voschelle, but she couldn't risk showing her hand, so she only offered a quiet goodbye, breathing a sigh of relief when the door shut behind her.

"Is she gone?" Brenn asked quietly, peeking into the bedroom. This time it was Ka who frowned since she now realized the maid hadn't been helping. She'd been hiding. Even from their short acquaintance, Ka could tell Saraphene was nothing like Navic, so there was no reason for Brinn to fear her.

"What's going on with you?" The maid ignored the question and hurried over, her lips thinning as she took in the swelling on Ka's cheek and a hiss leaving her as she examined Ka's shoulder. "The burn goes deep," Bin said, easing Ka's dress away from the wound. The fire had hit her bare shoulder, so thankfully no fabric had melted into her skin.

"I know," Ka said, feeling every agonizing blister. She was shaking visibly now, and sweat dotted her forehead despite the bone-deep chill setting in as her adrenaline faded. But she couldn't yield to what she was feeling. She was running out of time. Repeating Saraphene's request, she said, "Can you please go and find me a healer?" She needed Brin gone now.

But the maid shook her head. "A healer can't do much for a wound like this. Not in time for—" She broke off, but Kea knew it was only to avoid mentioning the wedding.

"Please, Brin," Kea begged. "It really hurts." That part wasn't a lie. There was a furrow in the maid's brow as she continued to inspect the burn. But then she seemed to come to a decision and ordered. "Lie down on your stomach."

"No, truly, I need you to go. And now," Ka, the maid said, her voice firm. But it wasn't just her tone that shocked Ka. It was that she waved her hand and a glossy green plant appeared growing straight out of the floor. If Ka hadn't already been sitting on the bed, she would have stumbled backwards. Brin had earth magic.

"You're an anomaly," Kea breathed. For 17 years, she'd only ever heard whispers of anomalies, and now she'd encountered two in the space of an hour.

"Lie down," Brin said again, pointing to the bed. Kea was too stunned to do anything but obey, wincing as the move aggravated her shoulder. She was careful to press her uninjured cheek to the pillow, watching in awe as Brin summoned another plant to appear alongside the first. Both were familiar to Kea, but she'd only ever used one before. The first was aloe, and Brin quickly pulled a small blade from her apron and sliced open the green stalk until its gel-like sap began to ooze out.

"You need to use the red wart first," Kea said, indicating the second plant. "It'll clean the wound."

"It'll also sting enough to make you wish for the Everworld," Brin argued.

"If it gets infected, I may end up in the everworld." The maid lowered the aloe reluctantly and reached for the reddish plant, but then she cocked her head and waved her hand again. Two new flowering plants appeared beside the red wart, one having bright white petals with yellow tips, the other a startling shade of violet with red shoots sprouting from the center. Ka had never seen either before.

"Milk mist," Brin said as she plucked one of the white flowers, causing Ka to jerk in surprise. Her father had mentioned milk mist once, claiming it was incredibly rare and famous for its strong anesthetic properties. Sure enough, the moment Brinn cut open the bulb and dribbled the sap onto Kea's shoulder, her pain vanished into numbness so complete that she moaned with relief. "I could kiss you right now," she murmured into her pillow, aware that she might actually stand a chance at escaping if the numbness remained long enough for her to sneak out of the castle.

The maid chuckled and proceeded to clean Ka's shoulder using the red wart. "Want to tell me what happened to you?"

"Not really," Ka answered, her trembles beginning to ease now that her pain had faded. Bren's fingers paused. "I'll rephrase. As the person currently helping you, I'd like you to tell me what happened."

Kea grumbled. "You're very forceful for a maid." When Brinn said nothing and didn't continue cleaning the wound, Kea added, "Fine, but please hurry. I have things to do."

"What things?"

"Just things," Ka said defensively, wishing the maid would act more maid-like. Brin's voice was filled with humor as she said, "The time will pass quicker if you share what happened while I work." Kea doubted that, but when Brinn recommended cleaning her shoulder, she offered an overview of Navak's demands in the throne room and how Saraphene and Voschelle had interrupted Zuru's second attack, finishing with an off-handed mention about the tension she'd felt between the Mira king and the caramore prince.

"Navac and Vosch are meeting in private?" Brinn asked as she smeared a liberal amount of aloe gel over the top of Ka's wound to make a soothing protective barrier. "Right now?"

"I guess so," Ka answered. Brinn didn't ask anything else as she shifted to dab aloeed onto Kea's cheek. Her silvery eyes narrowed with displeasure now that she had confirmation that the swelling was from Navic himself. She took off into the bathing chamber, returning with a tumbler half full of water. Only then did she reach for the purple flower, plucking some petals and shoots and dropping them into the liquid. "Drink this," she said.

Kea tried to sit up, but Brin placed a hand on her good shoulder and pressed her back onto the bed. "Stay down until the aloe sets. Just lift your head and drink it that way."

"What is it?" Kea asked as she took a tentative sip. It had a subtle floral taste, almost fruity.

"I doubt you'll have heard of it. It's a flower native to the Serpent Isles. The monks sequestered there call it serpent's kiss," Brenn said. "It speeds up healing, but you should only use it in extreme circumstances."

"Why?" Ka asked, taking another sip.

"Because it's poisonous," Ka spat out her mouthful. "What?"

Brinn rolled her eyes. "You'll be fine. You might have a bit of a headache and some stomach pains, maybe temporary blindness, but don't worry. In a few hours, you'll be back to normal and you'll be feeling much better. Just don't take anymore for at least a month or you'll be in trouble."

Kea gaped at the maid. "You gave me poison."

"It's mostly men who it kills," Brin said breezily. "Your odds are good." But Kea barely heard her because she belatedly processed what else Brinn had said and all but shrieked. "Did you say a few hours?"

Brinn pried the tumbler from Kea's dread-stiffened fingers. "I did. And unfortunately for you, I need to be somewhere else right now. But I don't trust that you won't do something foolish while I'm gone, like try to flee. So, this will actually work out well since you can sleep off the serpent's kiss without ever feeling its effects."

There was so much to what Brinn had said that both stunned and alarmed Ka, but she couldn't say anything because she couldn't breathe. No matter how hard she tried to inhale, it was as if her body had forgotten how to process oxygen. And it wasn't just breathing that she was suddenly incapable of doing. She also couldn't move, her limbs unresponsive, like something heavy was pressing her to the bed, refusing to let her up.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," Brin said, her voice gentle, even as Ka looked at her with wide, terrified eyes. "Everything will be all right, Ka. Trust me." And then, starved for air, Ka's vision blackened, and she succumbed to unconsciousness.

Chapter nine.

"Wake up, Ka. We need to go." A hand was shaking Ka and she roused slowly, her mind fuzzy. It took her a moment to remember why she was lying on her stomach. Why she'd even fallen asleep to begin with. No, not asleep. She'd been knocked unconscious by Brin, the elemental anomaly, who had not just earth magic, but air magic as well. Brin, who was now standing over Kea, her hands raised in apology. "I can explain."

Kea didn't give her the chance. Heedless to her wounds, she rolled off the bed and tackled the maid to the floor. Moonlight was leaking in from the open curtains, indicating that she'd slept for almost the entire day. Brin had stolen a massive chunk of what little time Ka had to escape Blackmount. Her wedding was tomorrow. She needed to leave right now. And as much as she liked the maid, poisoning and forced sleep aside, she couldn't allow Brin to keep her from her freedom.

"What are you doing?" The maid grunted as Kea used her own body weight to keep her pressed to the carpet. She was grateful the milk mist was still numbing her shoulder, but she would have preferred the excruciating pain to having lost the last few hours. Kea didn't answer, busy searching for something she could use to knock Brin out. But the maid quickly flipped them over. The move effortless enough to stun Ka before she began to wrestle anew.

"Would you stop?" Brin said exasperated. "You'll aggravate your wounds." Kea didn't care. She struggled even more violently. And Brinn, seeing the damage it was causing, let her go and jumped to her feet. Kea did the same and then launched herself straight at the maid again. In a second effortless movement, Brin shifted her body to the side and grabbed Ka's good arm, tugging her off balance and spinning her around. The next thing Kea knew, both her hands were trapped behind her back. The maid standing behind her and ordering, "Ka! Stop it! I'm trying to help you."

"Let me go, Brin." My name isn't Brin. It's Ashlin, and if you want any chance of escaping tonight, you need to listen to me." Kea stilled, not just at the maid's words or her sudden lack of miraish accent, but at her name.

"Ashlin," she croaked in disbelief. "As in Ashlin Sh?" The maid, who was definitely not a maid, hissed. "Do you want to get us both killed?"

The next second, Kea's hands were released, and she turned around slowly to look at the young woman standing before her, the general of Eveon's armies. Her hair was so much fairer than the gold of her brother, and her eyes so much paler than his cobalt blue. But now that Kea knew to look for it, there was the slightest hint of Calvin in her features, and especially in the way she stood, tall and proud, and utterly in control of her own body.

"What are you doing here?" Kea breathed. "Why are you a maid?"

"We need to leave while we still can," Ashlin said, striding over to a chair and collecting a wad of dark material, thrusting it into Kea's hands. "Put this on while I give you some quick answers and then we need to move." Kea looked down to find herself holding a maid's outfit identical to what Ashlin wore, a black dress that laced up at the chest paired with a blood red apron. At Ashlin's urging, she began to take off her gown and replace it with the new clothes, all while the princess spoke.

"I've been here for 3 months spying on Navic," Ashlin explained, tying the apron around Kea's waist. "I was planning to leave a few weeks ago as soon as word reached me about what happened with your sister and Mirin in Venia, but then I heard Navoc laugh about how they'd secreted you back to Zalandov and that he intended to retrieve you and bind you to him, and I knew I had to stay. I've been keeping tabs on you ever since your trial by ordeal. I know who you are, and I also know how much you mean to Jarn and Cal." She flicked the amulet, now hiding beneath Kea's clothes, the move implicit. "They'd never forgive me if I left you to be married against your will."

Kea swallowed, then said hoarsely, "I'm not sure about that. Things didn't end well, especially with Jiren."

Ashlin's lips pressed together. "I heard about that, too. And that's something you'll have to figure out with him, but I know my cousin, and he'd be horrified if you were forced to wed Navoc, so we need to go right now." She indicated Kea's shoulder. "Does it hurt?"

"Hardly at all," Kea said. "The milk mist hasn't worn off yet."

"Good." Ashlin straightened Kea's clothes and stood back to inspect her work. "If we run into Navik, keep your head down and he won't give you a second glance in this outfit," she instructed, reminding Ka of what she'd said that morning, and also revealing how she'd gone unnoticed by the Miran king for so long, hiding in plain sight. "But we need to avoid Sarah at all costs." Kea suddenly understood why Ashlin as Brin had fled to the bathing chamber when Saraphene had entered the room earlier. She hadn't been hiding in fear of the princess. But because unlike Navoc, the newly returned Sarah would have cared enough to look at Ashlin and therefore would have easily recognized her.

"I've pulled some favors and I have a way for us to get out of the castle, but after that, we're on our own," the princess went on. "There are supplies waiting for us in the city, but once we've collected them, we'll have to steal some horses and put as much distance between us and Zadria as possible before Navoc realizes you're gone. It's going to be a long night. Do you think you can manage?"

Kea nodded slowly, her mind whirling. "If you were here to spy, don't you need to stay?" she asked. "I should be able to make it on my own once you help me out of the castle." Now that she knew who Ashlin was, and that the other girl had a verifiable escape plan, Ka much preferred the idea of remaining in her company, but not at the risk of damaging the princess's chances of gathering whatever information she was there to steal.

Ashlin, however, shook her head. "As I said, I was planning to leave weeks ago. It's a good thing I didn't, given everything I've heard since you arrived. But now I need to get back to Stone Forge and share what I've learned before it's too late." That sounded concerning. But Kea had enough to worry about without dwelling on why Ashlin needed to get to Eve's northernmost military base. So she repressed her fears and followed the princess to the door. "Remember, don't make eye contact with anyone," Ashlin said. "And stay close."

It was only as they stepped into the hallway that Ka remembered there was still one more thing she needed to do that day. She swore loud enough for Ashlin to rip around, ready to berate her. But Ka got in first and said, "We need to go to the dungeons. There's someone I have to speak with before I can leave." Unsurprisingly, Ashlin wasn't pleased to hear about Galrich, nor was she pleased to discover that a high priority prisoner had been residing at Blackmount without her knowledge. But she agreed that the information Galdrich had regarding Tilda and the rebels was worth the risk of venturing beneath the castle. She, however, decided that they wouldn't just be speaking with Galdrich, they'd be taking him with them. Kea was unsure how they would free him from his cell while avoiding the notice of the gray guards, but she cast aside her worries and followed Ashlin along the black and red hallways. Even though they were moving swiftly, none of the servants or guards gave them a second glance, offering proof that their outfits made them all but invisible. Finally, they reached the entrance to the dungeons. The air growing chilly and damp as they headed deeper beneath the castle. Ashlin's steps slowed as she took in the numerous labyrinthan pathways.

"Which way?" She whispered. When Kea pointed left and started leading in that direction, the princess held her back and said, "Me first." Her reasoning became clear when they turned the next corner and found a trio of gray guards walking toward them, all visibly jolting as they saw two maids wandering in a place they had no excuse to be. Ka was about to offer a quick lie about being lost. But before she could, all three men cried out and clutched their heads, then dropped to the ground unconscious. When Kever turned woodenly to Ashlin, the other girl just shrugged and said, "Pressurized air straight into their eardrums. They'll be out for a while." Kea winced, having felt a similar magical attack from Meirn the night of the masquerade. She almost pied the guards before realizing they would have done something much worse to her and Ashlin.

"We need to hurry," the princess urged. They continued through the maze of corridors with Kea straining her memory for the right pathways. Finally, she was able to say, "It's just beyond the next bend." No sooner had the words left her than two guards appeared from around the corner, so close that they almost collided with each other. Ashlin didn't hesitate to launch herself at them, attacking not with her magic this time, but with her fists and feet, until both were on the ground as unconscious as the first three. It happened so fast that Kea was left gaping. "Never waste magic when mundane methods work just as well," Ashlin said, barely even panting. Kea nodded mutely before pointing a finger further down the darkened stone corridor. "That one at the end."

They hurried over and found Galdrich already on his feet, having heard the scuffle with the guards, even if the angle of his cell meant he wouldn't have been able to see anything. His brown eyes widened comically when he saw Kea approach, and they rounded even more when he noticed Ashlin. "Your highness," he rasped, bending at the waist. Ashlin snorted, "Please, we both know there's only one person here who you want to bow to." Kea shifted uncomfortably, having forgotten that as the ex-leader of the rebels, Galdrich had been determined to see a quarantine on Eve's throne.

"But we can discuss that later," Ashlin continued before adding in a hard voice. "At length." Galdrich's weathered features were solemn and if anything, accepting of his fate. "Now step back," Ashlin ordered, "and be ready to run." Kea wasn't sure if Galdrich would be capable of running. Physically, he appeared fit, and despite the gray streaks in his hair and beard, he was only in his mid to late 40s. But he'd also been imprisoned for half a year. On top of that, his face was still bruised enough that Kea had to repress her instinct to try and heal him, aware that if she managed to summon her magic, something she wasn't confident about given the events of that morning, then it would light the dungeons like a beacon. Noting her concern, Galdrich backed away from the iron bars on steady feet, quietly assuring her, "I'll be fine."

Ashlin ignored their exchange and said, "You too." Tea, who hesitated only a second before taking three large steps backwards. The princess then waved a hand at the bars, prompting them to shake and buckle. Whether from her earth or wind magic, Ka didn't know. A god's awful screeching sound echoed down the stone corridor, but the iron finally shifted to the side, creating a gap large enough for Galdrich to squeeze through. "We better hope there are no more gods down here, or they will have heard that," Ashlin murmured, rubbing her ears. She turned fierce eyes on Galdrich and said, "Injured or not, if you can't keep up, we'll leave you behind. And if you try anything, and I mean anything, I'll rip all the air from your lungs and bury you so far beneath the earth that you'll wish you'd remained in that cell." "Uderstood?" Galdrich nodded, his expression just as solemn as before. Kea didn't offer him any reassurance. She still wasn't sure where she stood with the man who had been her mother's closest adviser, and she wouldn't know until they had a chance to talk. For now, they needed to prioritize escaping.

Their return trip out of the dungeons was quick and quiet, with Ka breathing a sigh of relief when she saw the opulent black and red decor peeking over the top of the final stone staircase. But then Ashlin came to a jarring stop halfway up the stairs, a hissed curse leaving her mouth. Kea looked past her to see. "No!" she gasped inwardly. At the top of the staircase stood at least a dozen gray guards, and at their center was the smirking King Navoc.

"Nice try," he said. "But if you think I didn't expect something like this," he broke off when his gaze moved from Kea to Ashlin. His expression turned disbelieving, then furious, as he realized what it meant that Ebalon's general was there, dressed as she was.

"Get us outside," Galdrich whispered to Ashlin. "Once we're out in the open, I'll be able to." He didn't finish before Navic barked. "Zuru!" The dark-eyed man stepped into view, flames coming alive at his fingertips.

"Run!" Ashlin yelled, shoving Keva forward just as a fireball soared toward them. A wave of the princess's hand forced it to slam harmlessly into the obsidian wall, and another wave threw Navoc, Zuru, and all the guards backwards off their feet, opening a space for Kea, Galdrich, and Ashlin to sprint through.

"I can't take on all of Navik's gods if he summons the entire Black Mount garrison, and he will," the princess warned as they bolted along the hallway toward the castle entrance. "My magic has its limits."

"We just need to get outside," Galdrich said again. He was panting loudly and turning pale beneath his bruises, but he still kept up with them step for step.

"Then I can stop," came Navoc's shout. Another fireball soared over them, narrowly missing Galdri's head.

"Ashlin!" Kea hissed. "Too close." The princess flung her hand blindly backwards, and the floor behind them made a cracking sound as it opened up, forming a crevice in the middle of the hallway. "I can't do much else, or I'll bring the castle down on us," Ashlin said, breathing heavier now that her magic was sapping her strength.

"We're nearly there," Galdrich said, pointing to a familiar set of large doors up ahead. Beside them stood two pairs of gray guards who came to attention at the sight of them hurtling down the corridor. But another flick of Ashlin's wrist tossed all four of them a substantial distance down the opposite hallway.

"So much for sneaking out without Navick noticing," the princess complained. "Just pray that he doesn't lock down the city before we can make it through the outer wall."

"Where do you intend to take us?" Galdrich asked urgently as they ran through the front doors and out into the brisk night air. "When we reach Eveon, where would you have us go?"

"Raven's Watch. Highworth Keep. Stone Forge," Ashlin answered shortly, leading the way across the castle courtyard in the direction of the drawbridge, not bothering with stealth since there was no longer any point. "It's closest and no one would dare follow us all the way there. If we ride hard, we can make it in under a week."

"We won't need enough," came Navik's voice from behind them, cutting Galdrich off. His command brought all three of them to a halt in the middle of the courtyard. But it wasn't his word that had stopped them. It was what they saw standing in their path.

"Look around," the king said needlessly, since it was impossible to miss the rows and rows of gray guards between them and Blackmount's first iron gate. "You're surrounded." And before you think of doing something foolish, dear Ashlin, you should know that Zuru isn't the only anomaly I have under my command. Be very careful what you do next."

Despite Navik's warning, Ka was just about to tell the princess to use her magic in any way she could. But Galdrich spoke first. "Quick, take my hands," he ordered, thrusting his palms out for them.

"Why?" Ka started.

"Just do it," he urged. But then he took the choice from them, reaching for both Kea and Ashlin, his grip like steel. "Now take a deep breath and try not to throw up." Kea wanted to ask what the hell he was talking about, but then she locked eyes with Ashlin and that was when she felt it. Wind. So much wind manifesting out of nowhere, slamming into her hard enough to steal the breath from her lungs. But that wasn't all it did, because suddenly her feet were no longer on the ground as a vortex of air twisted her violently around and then swept her up into the night sky. A scream left Ka, but then she shut her mouth as she spun around like a human tornado. She felt Galdri's tight grip anchoring her to him, and had a moment to marvel that he was somehow doing this. But her wonder paled in comparison to the stomach-churning queasiness she felt as she continued to spin, spin, spin. She could see nothing but the smeared inkiness of the night as the wind continued to pummel her, the air bitterly cold, the force of it enough to make her feel as if she were being bruised all over. Then after seconds that felt like hours, it finally stopped, leaving Kea on solid ground once more. Her head was so dizzy that she fell straight to her knees. And while she was vaguely aware that they were now in a moonlit clearing with the faint lights of a village in the distance, that was all she noted before she had to slam her eyes shut against her nausea.

Ashlin moaned from somewhere to her left. "What in the name of the gods was that?" Galdrich collapsed before he could answer. Kea reopened her eyes at the thud of him hitting the earth and pushed through the last of her dizziness. "Galdrich." Ashlin's vomiting was the only response Ka received, so she crawled unsteadily over to the ex-rebel leader to check his pulse. Ashlin mumbled once her wretching ended,

But then louder she asked, "Is he dead?"

There was a strong heartbeat beneath Ka's fingers, so she answered, "I think he just fainted."

"I'm not surprised," Ashlin said, standing shakily. "I've never seen wind magic used like that. I didn't even know it could do that." She squinted toward the village, trying to get her bearings. He must have transported us at least.

She broke off with a gasp. "What?" Kea asked, seeing her shocked expression.

"I know this place," Ashlin said with disbelief. "That's Sudbury. Stone Forge is barely 2 miles from here." She stared at Galdrich's prone body. "That must have been why he asked where I was planning to take us so he could bring us here himself."

Kea gaped into the darkness. "Are you saying are we back in Eveon?"

Ashlin nodded, the moonlight dusting her features silver. "I wouldn't believe what just happened if I hadn't experienced it myself." There was a dazed look on her face, but she shook it off and moved back to where Ka knelt beside Galdrich. "Don't try to heal him. We don't want to draw attention," she said. "Not that Kea needed the warning. He's too heavy for us to carry him all the way to the base, but there's an inn at the edge of the village." She took hold of his shoulders. "The inkeeper is trustworthy. We can leave him with her until I can send someone to collect him." She jerked her chin toward Galdrich's feet. "Anytime you're ready."

Kea stood and grabbed Galdrich's legs, taking half his weight with a grunt. She and Ashlin then crabwalked the ex-rebel leader toward the village. It was a relief to find that the princess hadn't exaggerated the distance. The inn was one of the first establishments once they entered Sudbury. The inkeeper recognized Ashlin immediately, and while the short-haired woman did raise a questioning eyebrow at their maid's outfits, she was quick to lead them upstairs and into a free room, promising not to let Galdrich leave if he woke. She locked him in for good measure, with Ashlin assuring her that he'd be retrieved within the hour.

It was only when Ka and Ashlin stepped back out into the balmy night air, the summer temperature much warmer than it had been in Mira, that Ka became uncertain about her next steps. Ever since Cresta had helped her regain her fighting spirit in Zalandov, she'd been desperate to reunite with her friends and brother. And now that she was free of Navic and back in Eveon, she could finally do that. Only she had no idea where they were. Had Jiren, Calvin, and Nari remained in Valenia, hiding out in the city? Was Terrell still loyal to Zelica and working by her side? Had Tip escaped Rinda and the rebels and found a way to safety? The only thing Kea knew was that she couldn't linger at Stone Forge. She would wait until she could speak with Galdrich and then she would leave him to Ashlin and start the long journey south. If her geography was correct, Stone Forge was half a day's ride from Lamont, nestled in the foothills of the Tenestra Mountains. Valenia was hundreds of miles away. But if Ka was to find her friends and Terrell, the capital was where she would have to begin.

"You're very quiet," Ashlin noted as they walked along the moonlit path. The village now far behind them and new lights shining up ahead, indicating they were approaching their destination.

"Just thinking," Ka said, suddenly unsure where she stood with the princess. Ashlin was a Volantis and a general. Would she even allow Kea to leave, or was she just a different kind of prisoner?

"Now about..." Ashlin pressed. Kea weighed her response before asking, "Why did you help me escape? You know who my family is and what my sister did. You said Jiren and Calvin wouldn't have wanted me forced into marriage, but I'm not so sure they would have cared given everything that happened." She ignored her heartache to continue. "I don't understand why you didn't just leave me to my fate."

Ashlin didn't answer straight away. The sounds of crickets were all Kea could hear as they walked along the dark road until the princess finally said, "I already told you I was ready to leave Blackmount when I learned you were being retrieved from Zalandov. I stayed because I wanted to find out more about Navak's plans for you. And I'll admit, I was curious, too. I'd heard about your connection with my family and how much they cared for you. But after your deceit was revealed, I assumed you'd conned your way into their hearts and felt nothing for them. I was prepared to hate you, and I was also prepared to leave you in Zadria if my assumptions about you proved true." She turned to look Kea in the eye. "But instead, you surprised me. One of the first things you did was vilify your own ancestor and then denounce your sister. All while you defended my family. Everything you felt was written all over your face, confirming where your loyalties lay. Seeing that, I knew I couldn't leave you there."

Irrationally, Ka's eyes burned. "Thank you," she croaked out. "I would have had a lot more trouble escaping without you."

Ashlin snorted. "Without me, you'd be trying on your wedding gown right now."

Kea shuddered, then made herself ask, "Navic freed me from Zalandov. You freed me from Navic. So, where does that leave me now?"

Ashlin kicked a rock out of their path. "Let's wait and see what we're about to walk into before figuring out what comes next for both of us."

Brow furrowing, Kea looked toward the lights that were growing closer. "What do you mean?"

"I'm a Valentis," Ashlin stated. "That means I'm technically an enemy of the kingdom. I've heard rumors that Zelica has been having trouble gaining the allegiance of Evelyn's armies, my armies. But communication was sparse while I was in Zadria, so that could have changed. I have no idea what kind of reception we might face once we reach Stone Forge, and whether my own soldiers will turn against me."

Kea stumbled and choked out, "Then why are we heading there?"

"Because I'm hoping and assuming they're still loyal," Ashlin said. There was a thread of worry in her voice, but it vanished when she continued. "And if not, they still need to hear what I learned in Mirven. You can turn back if you want, but I have to see this through. You can turn back if you want."

A weight lifted from Ka as she realized Ashlin had no intention of keeping her as a prisoner. She truly was free now, and for the first time in a long time. That meant she could choose her own path. "I'm not leaving you," Kea said. She would eventually have to if she wanted to find her friends and her brother, but not yet. "We're in this together."

Ashlin sent her a small smile, but then she bit her lip and glanced away, a strange look coming over her face. "What?" Kea asked, troubled by her expression.

Haltingly, Ashlin asked, "I know it's been a few months, but when you last saw my brother, how was he?"

Kea blinked. Of everything Ashlin could have asked, anything about Ka's family, Zelica, the rebels, even her quarantine magic, that was not what she'd expected. But then she remembered that Calvin had avoided his sister for the last 3 years, ever since their parents had died in a shipwreck. The look on Ashlin's face told Ka that their arrangement was purely one-sided.

"He was..." Kea trailed off, unsure how to describe all that was Calvin.

Ashlin sighed and picked up her pace. A glimpse of a barrier fence now visible between the trees. "Never mind. I shouldn't have asked."

"No, it's just..." Kea tried again. I mean, she released a frustrated breath and admitted, "I don't know how to answer. Calvin is one of the best people I know, but he also drives me crazy. Despite that, he managed to make me love him as if he's my own brother. I've never..." Kea had to clear the emotion from her throat. "I've never met anyone more loyal to me and to others."

There was a heavy silence before Ashlin whispered, "I miss him." Kea felt the misery in those three words enough that she reached out to squeeze the princess's shoulder, but the move tugged at her burn, making her realize that the milk mist had finally worn off. Even so, the pain was nothing compared to earlier, and she pushed her collar aside, only to see that the wound had already scabbed over and was half healed.

A shocked sound left Kea, and she halted on the path, trying to get a better look. Ashlin hummed with satisfaction. "Poisonous or not, Serpent's Kiss works wonders."

"That's what it does?" Kea asked, incredulous.

"If it doesn't kill you," Ashlin confirmed, nudging Kea forward again. "It's not usually worth the risk, but I thought we had a week's worth of hard travel ahead, and I feared your injury would slow us down. Drastic measures and all that."

Kea shot a look at the princess. "You said it's mostly men who it kills."

Ashlin shrugged. "I might have fibbed a little. It's an equal opportunity poison." Her silvery eyes danced as she added, "If you died, at least you wouldn't have had to marry Navoc. I figured you'd be happy either way."

Deadpan, Kea said, "Please never try to help me again."

The princess chuckled, the sound warm and lovely. "No promises." Her humor faded as she jerked her chin toward an access point in the barrier fence. "Time to find out if my soldiers are still my soldiers."

Kea's nerves grew now that she could see how close they were to entering the outpost. The ground before them dipping into a shallow valley that made it easier to see the tidy rows of buildings lit by elevated aluminum beacons. Stone Forge wasn't Eveon's largest military base, despite it being responsible for monitoring the northern pass and watching for any suspicious border crossings. But looking at the buildings spaced out in front of her, Kea still marveled at its size.

"That's the command center," Ashlin said, pointing to a structure located in the middle of the settlement. "I know it's late, but assuming I'm still the general and we're not dragged away to the holding cells..." Kea's stomach lurched. "Then that's where we'll head once we're inside. Captain Janire oversees this outpost, so hopefully we'll find her there."

Ashlin's steps didn't falter as they approached the gap in the fence where they were intercepted by a group of soldiers wearing black from head to toe and enough weapons to stock an armory. Kea's mouth was dry as she waited for their reaction, but her fears were quickly eased. The moment they saw Ashlin, they straightened in surprise and crossed one arm over their chests in a respectful salute. The princess didn't reveal her relief, but Kea sensed the tension leaving her. The watch guards spoke briefly with Ashlin, offering an escort to the command center, but she assured them that was unnecessary and only requested they send someone for Galdrich. Immediately, two soldiers called for horses and a cart and set off toward Sudbury. Only then did Ashlin give a parting nod to the remaining guards before leading Kea past them into the outpost.

"I guess the rumors about Zelica's lack of control were true," the princess said quietly.

"Ka's knees felt weak. "I'm certainly not unhappy about that." Ashlin grinned her agreement. Given the hour, most of the base was asleep, though they did pass two groups of patrolling soldiers as they ventured deeper into the grounds, all of whom stared at Ashlin with stunned eyes before quickly giving her cross-armed salutes. It was clear that despite the kingdom being overthrown, she still had not just their respect, but also their adoration. Kea was suddenly reminded of her visit to the rebel camp near Oak Hollow and the reverent way the people had looked at Terrell. Ashlin's soldiers regarded her in exactly the same manner.

"Here we are," the princess said when they finally reached the command center. "It was built out of stone and largely unappealing, much like all the other buildings in the outpost. But unlike the rest, the command center had no windows and only one entrance. Cleverly designed to keep eavesdroppers from learning confidential information."

"Best if you stay quiet and let me speak," Ashlin warned Kea as she opened the thick door and stepped through first. "And whatever you do, don't mention your name or that you..." The princess stopped talking. Not just that, she also stopped walking, causing Ka to bump into her from behind.

"Sorry," Ka said quickly, jumping backwards. She looked past Ashlin into the brightly lit room, it reminding her of the command tent in the rebel camp mixed with the royal council chamber beneath the river palace, partly because of how sparse it was aside from a large meeting table, but mostly because of the many detailed maps hanging from the walls. All of that, Kea noted only vaguely, her attention drawn to what had stolen Ashlin's focus. In the middle of the room stood a young man who had turned at their arrival. He was unknown to Kea, his skin, hair, and eyes all dark, his physique heavily muscled, his features sharp and masculine. He held himself as one who was both confident and powerful. Yet, when he shifted slightly to the side, his movements were fluid and full of grace. But Ka only gave him a passing glance because when he shifted, she saw what was behind him. Two people gagged and bound to chairs by thick, heavy ropes. Two familiar people, Terrell and Cresta. Stunned, Ka could only stare at them before she came to her senses and lunged forward. But Ashlin held her back, her eyes no longer on the man in the center of the room. Instead, she was staring directly to the right of where she and Ka stood, her body frozen.

"Ashlin, let me..." Ka struggled against the princess's strong grip. But she didn't finish before she followed Ashlin's gaze, and all the fight left her at once. Because standing together in the closest corner of the room, looking as if they'd been in the middle of a hushed conversation, were two more familiar faces, Calvin and Jiren.

Chapter 10.

Kea's shock was so acute that she just stood there staring. She couldn't process what she was seeing. Not just that Jiren and Calvin were here, but also that her brother was their prisoner. And perhaps strangest of all, Cresta had managed to escape Zalandov. For a moment, Ka wondered if she was still at Black Mount Castle, and this was all one big serpent's kiss-induced hallucination. But Ashlin's grip was tight enough to make Ka realize this was no dream. And by the looks on the faces of everyone in the room, it might not be a dream, but it very well could be a nightmare. Jiren was here. Jiren was here. Calvin. Terrell. Cresta. Kea was breathing too fast, unable to move, unable to think. But her eyes were locked on Jiren's.

"2 and 1/2 months. That was how long it had been since the masquerade. Since the night they'd kissed, since the night she'd realized she was in love with him, since the night she'd helped destroy him. 75 days." He looked the same, but he also didn't. He was still impossibly handsome, still held himself with a strong, assured confidence. But his eyes, they were hollow, empty, like something was missing inside him, like something had been stolen from him.

"My magic is a part of me, like an arm or a leg." Kea nearly fell to her knees, seeing that hollowness in his eyes. But it wasn't only that, it was also the way he was looking at her. Jiren had never looked at Ka like that before. She'd never seen him look at anyone like that before because he was looking at her as if... as if... as if he hated her with every fiber of his being. Kea's heart shattered and she took an automatic step backwards. But Ashlin didn't allow her further than that. Her move broke something in the room, interrupting the shocked silence.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Calvin demanded, the first to speak. His gaze was fixed on Kea as if his sister didn't exist. "And what happened to your face?"

Kea raised her free hand to her cheek, having forgotten about the swelling. Much like with her shoulder, the serpent's kiss had helped speed along the healing, but clearly not enough to make it disappear entirely. She was gratified to hear that Calvin sounded concerned, but there was no denying the anger in his expression, directed at her. She had no idea how he felt after everything that had happened in Valenia, despite him having given her the chance to run. Struggling to untangle her panicking thoughts, all Ka managed to croak out in response was, "Is Tip here and Nari?"

It was the smallest of movements, but Kea's eyes were drawn back to Jiren when his body stilled. His jaw clenched. The gold in his eyes became a flame surrounded by ocean. His expression as hard as slate. And then he was striding forward toward Ka. Ashlin's grip turned painful, but Ka could barely feel it. Every part of her coming alive as he closed the distance between them. Despite everything she'd done to him, she knew he would never harm her. Not like Navic had. And yet she still braced for his reaction, unable to keep from whispering his name. The word full of remorse, full of longing.

"Jiren, I..." But she didn't get to finish because without giving her a second glance, he walked right past where she and Ashlin stood, straight out into the night, slamming the heavy door behind him. Kea winced at the sound, her heart tearing into a million more pieces.

"Go off to him before he does something stupid." For one wild moment, Kea thought Calvin was speaking to her, but then Ashlin replied, "That's the first thing you say to me in 3 years."

"Really?"

"Ash, now isn't the time for it's never the time," Ashlin said, her voice bitter. But Kea could hear the hurt in it. Even so, the princess loosened her fingers and gave Ka an encouraging squeeze before disappearing out of the command center after Jiren.

Left standing on her own, Ka looked toward her brother and Cresta again, along with the unfamiliar young man guarding them. She wanted to ask if they could be released or at least get an explanation for their presence at Stone Forge. But before she could say anything, Calvin was moving her way, his long steps full of purpose. "You and me outside now." Not giving her a chance to argue, he grabbed her hand and yanked her out into the balmy night air, dragging her through the entire length of the army camp until they were well away from any buildings and patrolling guards. Only when they were on the outskirts of the valley near where the perimeter fence touched the encroaching forest did he finally release her and turned so they were facing each other. The moonlight revealed his expression still set with anger and Ka swallowed, unsure what to say now that he was before her. But as she looked at him, she remembered all he'd done for her, all he was to her. More than anyone else, perhaps even Jiren, Calvin had always been her fiercest protector, her most loyal friend. He'd known the truth about her all along, and he'd still found a way to love her, regardless of who she was, and the threat she posed.

"I've never met anyone who shines as brightly as you do." Kea's eyes began to well as she recalled what he'd once said to her. He'd believed in her. He trusted her. And unintentionally or not, she'd betrayed him along with everyone else. She deserved to have him angry at her. She deserved to have him hate her just like Jiren did. She deserved to have him.

A finger beneath Kea's chin halted her wretched thoughts, her head tilting backwards until her teary eyes met Calvin's. At the sight, his lips became a firm line, his anger growing. But then his cobalt gaze moved over her face, taking in her gaunt features, the bruise on her cheek, the devastated expression she couldn't hide even if she tried. Whatever he saw caused his anger to bleed away. And then he sighed long and loud before releasing her chin, only to tug her forward and pull her tight to his frame, wrapping his arms around her. The move caught Ka by surprise, enough that for a moment she just stood there, her arms hanging listlessly by her sides. But then she finally comprehended that Calvin was hugging her and she couldn't control her reaction. Right there at the edge of the military outpost, Ka burst into tears. Everything she'd been feeling for months erupted out of her. Her isolation and self-hatred from her time in Zalandov. Her terror and confusion from being with Navic. Her uncertainty, her heartache, her shame, her guilt. All of that and more came out as she sobbed against Calvin, her fingers clutching his chest, her tears soaking his shirt. The whole time, his hands moved soothingly on her back as he murmured, "Get it out, sunshine," "You're all right. I'm here." The fact that he was calling her sunshine only made her cry harder and begin uttering choked declarations that she was a horrible person and he shouldn't forgive her and she'd never wanted any part in what happened. But it was still all her fault. She was hysterical, but she couldn't stop. Not until she'd finally exhausted herself enough that she could barely hold up her own weight. Calvin continued holding her until her sobs quieted and her tears dried. Only then did he ease away slightly to look into her swollen eyes and ask, "Feel better?"

Kea sniffed and nodded. It wasn't the complete truth, but crying had left her purged and partially numb, which was preferable to the alternative.

"Good," Calvin said. He then muttered, "You'd have to after all that. You're disgusting, by the way. I've never seen so much snot and tears in my life. You could have filled a lake." He pulled his shirt away from his body, cringing at how damp it was. "The things I do for you." Instead of laughing as he had intended, Kea felt new tears well in her eyes at how he was treating her, at how normal he seemed.

"No, gods, please don't start again," Calvin raised his hands in a pleading sign. "I don't have anything dry left for you to snot into."

This time, a weak laugh left Kea. Calvin smiled triumphant and quietly said, "There she is." Kea's lips wobbled, but she forced in a deep breath, wiped her face, and regained control. "I'm sorry," she said croakily. "I just... I thought you... I wasn't sure if... and then you..."

"I get it," Calvin cut her off. "And honestly, I'd planned to make you work harder for it, but you just look so pathetic standing there with those puppy dog eyes and the weight of the world on your shoulders. It was impossible not to put you out of your misery." It took great effort for Kea not to start crying again.

"I was scared you'd hate me like Jiren." She stumbled over his name as if there was a dagger caught in her throat.

"Jiren doesn't hate you." Kea shut her eyes, wishing that were true, but remembering his burning gaze, how he'd walked straight past her, how he couldn't even look at her.

"He does. All right, maybe a little," Calvin acknowledged, plunging that dagger deeper. "But mostly he hates himself."

The declaration caused Ka's eyes to snap open again. "What?" she breathed.

"He hates that he trusted you," Calvin said, his face serious. "He hates that he fell in love with you. He hates everything that happened, and he blames himself more than anyone, including you. He hates that he fell in love with you." The pain of those words slashed straight through Kea, enough for Calvin to read it in her expression. His own features softened as he said, "You've got some work ahead of you, sweet cheeks. I won't lie."

Kea's throat bobbed. "I know. There's some good news, though." He went on, and Kea looked up at him, unsure whether to risk feeling any kind of hope. "I've spent the last 10 weeks filling him in on your family situation." Calvin said, "I can't promise it did much good, but I explained everything I knew and how you told Zelica you wanted nothing to do with the rebels."

Kea towed the dirt. "I still gave her everything she needed to."

"You made mistakes. No one is denying that," Calvin interrupted. "And you're going to pay for them. Trust me. But just give him time. Deep down, he knows you had nothing to do with that night. Not intentionally. He'll come around eventually." He paused. "And if it makes you feel any better, he was furious at me for not telling him about you. Took him weeks to forgive me." Calvin scratched his jaw. "Actually, he's still pretty mad, but he's speaking to me again, so that's progress."

Kea grimaced. "I'm sorry for the position I put you in."

"I never meant to..."

"Quit saying sorry," Calvin said, frowning. "I made my own choices just as you did. I chose to believe in you, even knowing that it could end badly. But despite that, I wasn't wrong because you were exactly the person I thought you were all along, and I don't regret trusting you." His face darkened as he said, "That sister of yours, though."

Kea grabbed his hands and held his stormy gaze as she said with feeling, "I'm going to make this right. I promise."

Calvin linked their fingers and said, "We're going to make this right. None of this 'I' business. You can't just run off on your own again and stay gone for months. You hear me? I looked everywhere for you that first week, practically turned Valenia inside out before I realized you must have fled the city. And then we had to leave." He stopped suddenly before asking, "Where the hell have you been anyway?" Squinting at her, he added, "And what are you wearing? You look like someone's grandmother." He thumbed the ruffles of her apron, causing her to swat his hand away.

"I..." Kea hesitated, realizing Calvin had no idea she'd been back in Zalandov. That meant Ca must not have said anything, or she hadn't yet had the chance. Instead of responding, Ka asked, "My brother and Cresta, what are they doing here? Why are they tied up?"

Cal's golden eyebrows shot upward. "You're kidding, right?" Kea matched his look, waiting for an answer. The prince huffed out an amused breath and said, "Your brother is the jackal, the general of the rebel forces. What did you expect us to do? You knew that before and you didn't arrest him," Kea pointed out. "In fact, you were attracted to him last I heard."

Calvin grinned, a wide flash of white in the darkness. "Trust me, that will never change." He then sobered and said, "There was nothing I could do for him. He showed up here tonight and surrendered himself to the soldiers at the front gate. Said he didn't care what we did to him as long as we helped find you."

Kea jerked. He'd barely said his name before he was taken into custody, the redhead with him. Calvin cocked his head to the side, a new light entering his eyes. "Ca is it? She's a real firecracker." There was admiration in his voice enough for Kea to wonder if she should warn him away from the ex-quartermaster or let him figure it out on his own. She decided to stay on task and said, "Why did Ca come here looking for me?"

"No idea," Calvin answered. "We were just about to stop questioning him when you arrived."

"You and he..." He locked his jaw and turned to stare into the forest.

"Ashlin," Kea said the name, her tone gentling. "I like your sister. She's helped me a great deal in the last 2 days." Calvin said nothing, and Ka was unsure how to proceed. But then she realized he was standing in a military base, a place he'd avoided ever since the death of his parents, just like he'd avoided his sister. "Why are you here, Calvin?" she asked quietly. "We're so far from Valenia. You and Jiren. Shouldn't you be there?"

He exhaled loudly. "It's a long story, but the brief version is despite having the royal turner, Zelica and Mirin have been having trouble holding the throne. Legally, they're the new queens of Eveon, but the people are unhappy with the change of rulership." Kea had already known as much. The Valentis family had been beloved rulers, especially Jiren. The people's prince, they'd called him, eager for the day he would become their king. "Aunt Ariana and Uncle Stellin were hostages in the palace," Calvin went on, oral too. And then he broke off, seemed to gather himself and said, "The turmoil was too much for Uncle Stellin. His condition, his blood illness degenerated quickly, and he... he passed into the Everworld." A soundless gasp left Ka at the thought of the king, Jiren's father, dying. She knew how it felt to have her father die. She hated that Jiren had suffered through that so soon after losing everything else, that she hadn't been there for him, that she hadn't even known.

Calvin cleared his throat and went on. "Everything became more chaotic after that, and Zelica focused the rebels on finding us, thinking Eveon would come to heal if Jiren was seen bowing to her. It became too dangerous for us to stay in Valencia. But it was also difficult to leave given everything with Nari." Hearing his voice catch on her name, Kea asked, her pulse stuttering, "Nari, is she all right?" She looked around as if expecting the guard to jump out of the bushes and throttle her for what she'd done, but there was no sign of her, just as she hadn't been in the command center earlier.

"She's that night," Calvin tried again. "Your sister did something to her. It's hard to explain." Kea's heart froze as she recalled Nari lying on the ground bleeding and unconscious. "She's here. You can see her soon," Calvin said. The words eased something within Kea, even if his tone was less than reassuring. He shuffled his feet, then continued his story. "We knew the armies were still loyal to us, so we decided to meet up with Ashlin at our central military base, Highworth Keep, and consult with her about our next steps. It took us weeks of travel, taking the back roads and avoiding people as much as possible, all while trying to care for Nari as best as we could. But when we finally arrived, we learned that Ash was in Miran spying on King Navoc. The last missive she'd sent claimed she'd planned to leave soon, so we waited for her. But when more weeks passed, and she didn't appear, we grew restless and decided to travel north, figuring she'd stop at Stone Forge on her way back into Eveon." He waved a hand toward the base and said, "When we got here, no one had heard from her, so we began to worry. We gave her a little more time before determining that something needed to be done and we started planning a rescue mission, but well, no need for that anymore." Calvin shrugged. "So basically, the last 10 weeks had been spent either hiding, traveling, or whiling away the days in military camps." His gaze locked on Kea's bruised cheek as he finished. "And yet something tells me that as much as I've hated every single minute, you haven't had the best time yourself wherever you've been." It was a leading statement, one Kea didn't want to answer.

"You didn't mention Tip, is he?" She struggled to ask, afraid of what he might say.

"He's here," Calvin said, and the air left Kea in a relieved rush, but she almost choked on her next breath when he added, "He arrived tonight with Terrell and Ca. We didn't bind him. It was clear he didn't want to be anywhere near them." The moment he saw Jiren, he lost it, cried almost as much as you did, and latched on to him so tight I thought he'd never let go. We had to shove a morephine tonic down his throat to calm him down. Poor kid was asleep in seconds." Kea had trouble talking around the lump in her throat. "He came with Ca and Cresta. But how? And and why?"

The prince eyed her shrewdly. "Since you evidently don't want to share your story yet, why don't we go and find out theirs?" Kea sent him an apologetic look. She should have known he'd notice her deflecting every time he tried to question her. "I'm sorry. I know there's a lot I need to tell you. It's just..." She trailed off, unable to finish.

"What did I say about apologizing?" Calvin said, his eyes full of more understanding than she deserved. "We've got time. You'll share when you're ready." He jerked his chin toward the base. "Now, come on. Let's go and get some answers."

Chapter 11.

Upon arriving back at the command center, Kea did a stutter step through the door when she saw that Jiren had returned. He stood with his arms crossed, his expression closed, his eyes avoiding her entirely. But he was there. And Ashlin, too, standing at his side in a similar position, her maid's outfit making her look considerably less intimidating.

"Took you long enough?" Ashlin grumbled to Calvin before turning to Kea and asking, her voice much kinder. "Are you all right? Is your shoulder?"

"I'm fine," Ka said quickly.

"What's wrong with your shoulder?" Calvin asked, peering from her left arm to her right, but her dress covered all evidence of the wound.

"Nothing," Kea said, sending a warning look to Ashlin, who cocked a pale eyebrow in response, but thankfully didn't say anything else. Jiren's expression hadn't changed. He'd clearly decided to ignore Ka. And while she wanted to run into his arms and beg for forgiveness, she knew the best thing she could do was give him space. Calvin had seemed confident Jiren would warm up to her eventually, so she just had to be patient and not push him into anything before he was ready. But Ka didn't feel like being patient. Not when he was so close after being apart for so long. She unconsciously moved a step nearer to him, but a twitch of Cresta's head caught her attention, and Ka looked toward the ex-quartermaster only to see the warning in her hazel eyes. "Don't," Ca seemed to be saying, "You'll regret it." Kea bit her cheek hard enough to draw blood, but gave a nod of resigned understanding.

"Have you learned anything yet, Adid?" Calan asked, prompting Kea's gaze to shoot to the unfamiliar young man, her eyes widening with realization. Idrren was the name of the royal guard who had originally planned to infiltrate Zalandov, but he'd broken his leg, leaving Jiren to go in his place. From what Ka had gleaned while eavesdropping on the royal council, he was one of Eveon's best spies when it came to gathering rebel intelligence. Last she'd heard, he'd been recovering from his injury in Alb, but that had been months ago. He'd had plenty of time to heal and apparently find his way back to Jiren.

"The general said we should wait for you," Edin answered, his voice quiet, calming even. Despite his formidable size, there was something very settling about him.

"Well, we're here now," Calvin said, offering no further explanation as he strode toward them, with Kea quickly following. "Remove their gags, and let's hear what they have to say." If Ashlin was annoyed that her brother was giving the orders despite her outranking him, she didn't let on. Her focus was solely on Terrell and Cresta as Edin tugged the cloths from their mouths.

Immediately, Terrell looked at Kea and rasped, "Are you quiet?" The word was low and brimming with barely restrained fury, a command even the bravest of souls would know not to ignore, and it was said by Jiren. It was the first time Kea had heard his voice in weeks, and it took everything in her not to start tearing up again. She only managed because Cresta sent her another look. This one saying, "Get it together, you soft-hearted fool." Kea fisted her hands until her fingernails dug into her palms. She was desperate to find out how her brother was there, what Cresta was doing with him, why Calvin had said Tip hadn't wanted to be near them, and so many other things, but she knew better than to speak. The very air simmering with tension. She shot a pleading glance at Calvin, but he was too busy looking worriedly at Jiren to notice. So Kea turned to Ashlin. The princess held her eyes before offering a slight nod and stepping forward until she was in front of Terrell. Cresta. She said, "I'm Ashlin Valentis. I know who you are, General," he replied. His emerald gaze was steady and full of respect, which seemed to take Ashlin back. But she rallied and said, "It takes either a brave man or a stupid one to turn himself in as you did tonight. You're wanted for treason, the penalty for which is a life sentence at Zalandov." Kea flinched and all eyes shifted to her, including Jiren's frosty gaze.

"Since we just came from there," Cresta drawled, mercifully, reclaiming their attention. "It'd be really annoying if you made us go straight back." Ka sent her a grateful look, to which the redhead just rolled her eyes, as if reminding Ka that it was becoming an irritating habit to save her, even from herself. Ashlin squinted at the ex-quartermaster. "Have we met before? You look familiar." Cresta shrugged within the confines of her ropes. "Are you the one who arrested me 5 years ago?" When Ashlin shook her head, Cresta said, "Then no, unless you've visited for family day in that time. Maybe we shared tea and cookies." Kea resisted the urge to snort at the very idea of Zalandov hosting a family day. Ashlin's mouth tightened, and she returned her focus to Terrell. "You came here knowing that weed..."

"Can we speed this up?" Ca interrupted, shifting on her seat. "My ass is numb." She jerked her chin toward Kea. "You already know we're here for her. Sure, we didn't know she'd be here, so we got lucky with that. But now that we're all together, how about you save time by leaving the threats and just asking your questions?" Cresta continued before anyone could respond. "I'll start you off. This one," her chin jerked toward Terrell this time, "was unconscious during everything that went down with their sister at the palace. Her hazel eyes locked with Jiren's as she brutally added, "You know, the night you lost your throne and your magic." She whistled through her teeth, "Not your best day, Christa."

Kea hissed, the strangled word barely leaving her throat. "What?" Cresa asked with fake innocence. "We all know what happened. Gods, you wouldn't shut up about it for weeks at Zalandov. I've never seen anyone more broken, and that's saying a lot considering where we were." It was as if all the air had been sucked from the room. Kea shut her eyes to block out what she might see or not see. But then she felt a hand on her arm, and she reopened them to find Calvin's pale face before her.

"You were back at Zalandov." His voice was raw, as if he didn't want to believe it.

Cresa snorted. "Where the hell did you think she was? After how much she'd come to care for you all, do you really think she would have stayed away of her own free will and not tried to fix things?" She snorted again. "Do you really think she would have stayed away from him?" Her gaze speared straight to Jiren again, and Ka couldn't resist looking as well, only to see him standing as still as death. His face remained blank, but his eyes... they were blazing. Kea's traitor's heart gave a thump of hope. But then he blinked, and whatever he'd felt at the news of her being back at Zalandov vanished as swiftly as it had arrived. There was nothing she could do, though. Cresa went on, her words landing like blows. "Warden Rook sentenced her to the tunnels this time." A jerk of Jiren's body had Kea's eyes flicking back to him, but he'd frozen again before she could decide whether she'd imagined it or not. "And when she arrived, she was too messed up from the cresta..."

Kea finally snapped. All eyes returned to her, including Jiren's, and a panicked desperation came over her. He couldn't learn about the angel dust after the abuse he'd suffered from his mother's addiction. Kea feared it would only give him another reason to hate her. She might not have willfully chosen to use the drug, but she still recalled her darkest moments of begging Cresta for it. Her shame was suffocating, something she couldn't stand the thought of him knowing about. And not just him, the others, too. So she cleared her throat and said, "It's fine. I'm here, aren't I? Yes, I was back at Zalandov just for a little while, but I got out." She held up her hands as if to prove she'd sustained no permanent damage, at least not physically. The scars on the inside, those were hers to bear alone.

"How did we not know?" Calvin asked, horror clear in his features. Kea wanted to reassure him that there was nothing he could have done, but Cresta answered before she could. "Zelica and Mirren snuck her out of Valenia in secret. They knew she'd try to help you, and they wanted her out of the way." The ex-quartermaster didn't mention the state Ka had been in upon arrival, having clearly noted Ka's reaction to her previous attempt, and smoothly segued back to her earlier story. "That all happened straight after the masquerade, but when Terrell woke the following day, he..."

"Why don't we let him tell his side of things?" Ashlin cut in smoothly, her silvery eyes shifting to Terrell. "I'd like to hear it in his own words."

Terrell straightened in his chair. "After the attack, I woke up in..."

"Mirans," Calvin answered for Terrell. "They kidnapped Kea to bait Jiren." Ashlin looked like she had more questions, but Calvin waved her on.

"Everything was hazy at first, but Rinda, my friend and second in command, helped me remember," Terrell said, his gaze unfocused in memory. "I'd been stabbed in the heart, but it wasn't by a Mirven soldier. It was by Zelica." He raised his eyes to Kea's, his face haunted. "She nearly killed me. You saved me." The sudden spotlight on Ka's healing magic was as subtle as a rabid bear in the corner of the room. "Res filled me in on what had happened at the palace. She's never trusted Zelica. So as soon as she heard about the takeover, she moved me and Tip from the rebel safe house to her hidden apartment in the city while we were both still unconscious."

"Who is this Tip I keep hearing about?" Ashlin murmured.

"Unnaturally happy kid," Cresta said, sounding bored. "Like a little brother to Kea until he learned she'd been lying to him for years. Keep up, would you?" Ashlin scowled at Cresta while Kea fought back her pain from the two candid answers. All while Terrell continued. "That morning I went to the palace and confronted Zelica. I'd had no idea that she..." He broke off, his eyes moving straight to Jiren. In a broken voice, he said, "I swear I had no idea what she'd planned. If I'd known, I would have..."

"What?" Jiren said, his voice whipped sharp. "You would have what? Stopped her?"

"You're a quarantine. The jackal, the rebel general. Isn't this what you wanted? Congratulations. You succeeded, Jiren."

"Mate," Calvin said quietly, moving closer to his cousin and placing a hand on his shoulder. "We talked about this."

"No," Jiren said, shrugging Calvin off. "You talked about this. Just because you believe he's more than what he seems, that doesn't mean I have to. He's from a family of liars and murderers. Trust him all you want, but you'll only bring about your own ruin. Then you'll have no one to blame but yourself." Jiren wasn't talking about Terrell. Everyone in the room knew it. Kea especially. Her eyes burned. Every word like an arrow shooting into her chest.

"Gods, were you this dramatic when you were at Zalandov?" Ca asked, pulling a face at Jiren. "No wonder I never liked you."

"Why are you here, Ca?" He asked flatly.

"To... isn't done yet," she replied, heedless to Jiren's mood. "He needs to finish before you can see how I fit into things." Sensing everyone's patience was growing thin, Terrell quickly summarized. "Zelica wouldn't tell me where Ka was and demanded that I help her take control of the kingdom. When I refused, she tried to attack me with her magic." There was enough disbelief in his tone to confirm he'd had no knowledge of her deadly power. "I only managed to escape because Mirren arrived and talked some sense into Zelica, giving me a chance to flee." Ka's eyes widened at the thought of Mirren intervening. Jiren, Calvin, and Ashlin all showed visible reactions as well, making her wonder how they were dealing with the emotional fallout of her betrayal. Jiren especially. After that, Terrell said, turning to Kea, "it took me some time, but I found a witness from the masquerade who saw you being carried away by two guards. I assumed they were royal guards, so I lost even more time trying to hunt them down, only to learn they were transfer guards who had taken you back to Zalandov." His sorrowful green gaze held hers. "I'd already abandoned you once. I wasn't going to let you rot in there a second time, but I also worried that the rebels might report what I was planning to Zelica, so I knew I had to go alone. Re agreed to stay behind as my eyes and ears inside Valenia and Tip." Terrell looked down at his lap before meeting Ka's gaze again. He was harder to convince, but he knew he couldn't go back to the palace while Zelica and Mirren were there. Since he had nowhere else to go, he agreed to travel with me to Zalandov." Kea's heart shriveled. Now understanding what Calvin had meant earlier. Unlike Terrell and Cresta, Tip wasn't there because he'd wanted to find her. He was there because he'd had no other choice. Painfully aware of how many people she'd hurt with her lies, Kea only half listened as Terrell explained how he and Tip had stayed at the inn in Vasin until they'd overheard some guards complaining about the new recruits who had finally arrived to replace those killed.

In the riot. To quickly realized that was something he could exploit, especially when the guards went on to laugh about that healer girl locked in the abyss. It took a few days, but he eventually managed to corner a different guard and knock him out before stealing his uniform and sneaking into the prison disguised as one of the recruits.

Thanks to Tip's reluctant sharing, Tor knew exactly where the punishment block was and headed straight there, only to find not Kea, but Cresta. "You'd already been taken by then, and I told him I'd only share where you'd gone if he got me out," Cresa said shamelessly. So, he did.

Kea had a feeling their escape wasn't as straightforward as they'd claimed, but she didn't pry for more details. Instead, she looked at Ca and stated, "I would have come back for you."

Cresta's face was solemn. "I know." Her features filled with mirth, as she added. "But now you don't have to get your ass stuck in there a third time because of some idiotic rescue attempt that was doomed to fail."

"Backup," Calvin interjected, looking between Kea and Ca. "Why did those gods say you were in the abyss if you weren't?"

"Because I was," Ka said, and she thought she saw Jiren give another twitch, just the faintest of movements, until Navic had me released. This time she was certain Jiren gave a visible jerk.

"That part I didn't know," Cresta said. "I just lied to to so he'd get me out." She flashed an unrepentant grin, the expression transforming her face enough that Kea heard Calvin suck in a swift breath and said, "He wasn't very happy with me. Naughty Cresta."

Calvin coughed to hide his amusement, and Kea shot him a warning look. "Tip was even less happy," Terrell said, his tone revealing that he wasn't quite over Cresta's lie, even if they appeared to have reached a truce. "We had to come up with a new plan. But it was around then that we heard whispers that the Valentis princes were with their army at Stone Forge, safe from Zelica's reach. So, we headed here, hoping you'd be able and willing to help."

"He dragged me along, saying I owed him that much, but I would have come anyway out of curiosity," Crest said. "This has been the most entertainment I have had in years." She wiggled her feet. "Well worth the blisters."

Kea eyed Christ's boots, taking in her travelworn clothes properly for the first time. Somewhere along her journey, she'd traded her prison tunic for a functional shirt and leggings, but both she and Terrell were covered in dust and in need of a good wash.

Cresta yawned loudly, stretching her arms over her head. "As fun as this is, I'm tired and hungry. Are we done yet?"

Calvin shifted forward, his cobalt gaze narrowed on her hands. Her unbound hands. "How did you Oh, was I supposed to wait to be freed?" she asked, picking up the untied robes resting uselessly on her lap. "I'm afraid I missed the 'how to be a good prisoner' lecture on my first day at Zalandov."

Despite the emotional trauma of the night, it took all of Kea's willpower to keep from laughing at the guileless expression the redhead was attempting to pull off. "Eded," Ashlin started.

"Never mind, I'll do it myself," Ca muttered, retying her own ropes. This time, Ka couldn't hold back her snort and was mortified when the frowns that had been focused on Cresta turned her way. "Sorry," she said. "It's just I mean," She waved a hand weakly toward Cresta, as if that was answer enough.

Calvin returned the warning look she'd sent him mere moments ago, then came to her rescue by indicating between her and Ashlin and saying, "You mentioned Navoc. Is that how you two ended up together?"

Kea nodded slowly, unsure how much she wanted to share about her own misadventures. Ashlin, however, had no such hesitation and launched into an explanation of how she'd traveled to Miran to spy on the king, only to delay her return when she heard he was having Ka collected from Zalandov.

"But why would he?" Calvin stopped mid-question and turned to Kea. "The night of the masquerade, you'd just found out about a deal your family made with him, but you didn't know what that deal was. Does this have something to do with that?"

Kea rubbed her arms, stalling, but the look on Ashlin's face told her that if she didn't explain, then the princess would. "My mother." Kea struggled over the word when Jiren's expression tightened. "wanted to get to me in Zalandov, but she also wanted to uh take over Eveon," Cresta said, yawning again. "Blah, evil queen. We all know this part."

Kea frowned, but Cresa only winked in return, her serpent tattoo shifting with the movement. Deciding just to get it over quickly, Kea said so fast that the words blurred together. "Mother allied the rebels with Miran."

The room stilled. "She what?" Terrell demanded.

Kea swallowed and explained. "She said they'd help Navak's forces invade if he got her into Zalandov and if a quarantine ended up on the throne. She um didn't know about the royal turner." Kea avoided looking at Jiren. "So she thought it was the best chance she had, or at least the quickest."

"Why would Navic agree to that?" Adren asked, his head tilted in thought. He'd kept so quiet for most of their conversation that Kea had nearly forgotten he was there. "He's wanted Eveon for too long to just conquer us and then hand over the crown."

Kea dreaded sharing the answer, but once again, Ashlin didn't hesitate. "Navic retrieved Ka from Zalandov to marry her. That was the deal Tilda made, her daughter for our kingdom."

Kea stared at the ground, uncomfortably aware of everyone looking at her. "She didn't," whispered Terrell's agonized voice. "Kea, tell me she didn't." She said nothing. Did nothing. Just stood there wishing for the earth to open and swallow her whole.

"And I thought my family had problems," Cresa murmured. That made Ka finally look up, ignoring everyone but the redhead as she said through clenched teeth, "You're not helping. It doesn't matter now."

Ashlin's voice was deliberately light, as if to ease the sudden waves of emotion in the room. Emotion that wasn't coming from just Ka and Terrell. Kea didn't want to look, was afraid to look, but her gaze moved to Jiren without her permission. His face, his eyes. He turned away and ran his hand through his tals gold brown hair. When he turned back again, his expression was blank once more, but Kea had seen it. She hadn't imagined it. He'd been horrified for her. And he wasn't the only one because unlike Jiren, Calvin didn't have a reason to deny what he felt and the way he was looking at her.

"I'm all right," she said quietly to him. "But also to Jiren."

"Ashlin got me out in time."

"Not quite in time," Ashlin said. "He did manage to torture you first."

Kea's body locked and she snapped. Ashlin, forgetting that she probably shouldn't speak to a princess and a general in such a tone. But Ashlin held her indignant gaze and said, "They need to know why."

"Kea demanded, throwing out her arms and wincing when the move pulled at her shoulder. "They need all the facts so they can help us figure out why Navoc agreed to the deal." Ashlin said calmly. "And don't tell me you believe he said yes just so he could ally with the rebels. We both know it's more than that. Something to do with your magic. Why else would he have been so desperate to see you use it and so furious when you wouldn't?"

"Please," Ka said, rubbing her forehead. "Can we just And you're not the only thing we need to worry about when it comes to Miran." Ashlin went on, ignoring Kea's, "please." She turned to her brother and Jiren and grimly revealed. "Navoc has been collecting anomalies, not one or two, but dozens, more than we ever thought existed, more than should exist. I don't know how he's finding them, but their numbers are growing and they're seemingly loyal to him."

"Dozens," Jiren repeated, eyes wide. "How is that possible? Anomalies were supposed to be incredibly rare." Kea was still amazed that she'd encountered two in her lifetime, Zuru and Galrich, that Navoc had found dozens. Anxiety welled within her as she wondered what he was planning.

"I wish I knew," Ashlin said, visibly unsettled. "Voselle found out and was furious. He feared Navick might use them as leverage against the whole of Wenderol, including Caramore. So, he confronted him and demanded a guarantee of safety for his kingdom. But Navoc didn't like that Vos wasn't acting like a weak-minded porn. And when Vos threatened to break their alliance, Navoc laughed and said, 'Go ahead.' Right before he" Ashlin exhaled unsteadily before finishing, "Navoc attacked him. If Saraphene hadn't interrupted them, Vos would be dead right now, rather than on his way back to Terth and preparing to close Karamore's borders. Miran's closest ally, Navoc, willfully destroyed that. and he did it laughing. That means there's more going on here than any of us realize."

Her focus returned to Kea. "And something tells me it all has to do with you."

Everyone in the room was as still as a statue, listening to Ashlin, even Cresta, who had paled significantly toward the end of the princess's speech, as if finally realizing the gravity of what they faced. But Kea couldn't think about Ca, her mind too busy processing Ashlin's words. She wondered how badly Voschelle had been hurt, whether the closing of Karamore's borders would affect the rest of Wenderol, and what would happen to Saraphene now that the alliance, and therefore her betrothal had been broken. Her thoughts spun until she realized the others were all watching her, waiting for an answer.

"I already told you everything Navak said to me," Kea croaked to Ashlin. "He thinks my magic." She shot a quick look at Jiren, wincing as the damning word hung in the air. "Can combat Zelica's, but he's wrong because when I tried to fight her, I failed."

"You didn't," Calvin disagreed, his unusually grave eyes on Ka. "You broke her hold on us."

Kea shook her head. "That took almost everything I had, and it still wasn't enough to keep her from from" Her eyes flicked to Jiren's chest, right where Zelica had stabbed him, and she rasped out. "I couldn't stop her. Whatever Navic thinks, whatever my mother told him, I'm not powerful enough." She turned back to Ashlin, silently, begging for help.

The princess eyed her closely, then sighed and said, "I think we've all had enough for tonight. In the morning, we'll talk with Galddrich and see what he can tell us about Navak and Tilda. Hopefully, he'll be able to shed some light on the situation with the anomalies and with Kea."

"Galdrich," Terrell repeated, his forehead scrunching. Kea cursed quietly, having forgotten all about the supposedly dead ex-rebel leader, who had likely already been delivered to the base. After hearing their quick explanation about how he'd been waiting in Navic's dungeon as a wedding gift for Kea, Terrell looked stunned, but Cresta just drawled. "This is lovely and all weddings and reunions and people coming back to life, but have you decided what to do with us yet?" She held up her rebound hands. "Can I take these off again?"

"No." The word came from multiple voices, all three Valentis Royals and Erin, causing Cresta to grumble under her breath and slump down in her chair. But then Calvin mused. "What are we going to do with them? She escaped Zalandov. Do we just send her back? And Terrell." Kea's heart jumped to her throat as he trailed off, and she turned, pleading eyes to Ashlin for what felt like the millionth time that night.

The princess sighed again and said, "Let's sleep on it and figure that out in the morning. They came here for Kever. They won't try to escape without her." To Edin, she said, "Take them both to the barracks and allocate them bunks, but make sure they remain under watch all night." When Cresta's stomach rumbled loudly, Ashlin added, "And have someone bring them some food."

"Ta," she said. "You should eat, too. You haven't had anything since breakfast."

"That's what happens when you knock me out for an entire day," Ka muttered. But her voice carried more than she'd intended. "You knocked her out?" Calvin asked Ashlin, his eyes narrowing.

"only so she wouldn't do anything stupid while I went to spy on Navic and Voschelle," she answered, brushing a wrinkle from her apron. "It was for her own good."

Calvin frowned. "You make it sound like you were at Blackmount today, but Zadria is hundreds of miles away."

As Idrin began to lead Terrell and Cresta away, the former looking at Kea like he wished he could stay by her side, and the latter merely yawning again. Ashlin quickly explained about Galdrich being an anomaly, who had used his air magic to help them escape, causing wide eyes around the room. No one was more surprised than Terrell, who heard everything just before Edin prodded him out the door, and who had clearly been oblivious to the ex-rebel leader's magical ability.

"Can you do the wind tornado thing?" Calvin asked Ashlin, curiosity lighting his features. Ka tried to focus on the conversation, but she was achingly aware that she was now alone in the room with the three Valentis royals, one of whom would normally have been an active part of the magical discussion, but no longer had any power because of her.

"I'm not sure," Ashlin said, but that's something I'll be asking him tomorrow." With how much they'd been through that day and all that was still ahead in the morning, Ka felt suddenly exhausted and was desperate for someone to show her where she could sleep. But her night wasn't over yet, and she knew that when her eyes skittered toward Jiren, only to find him already staring back at her. Her chest constricted, and she made herself hold his gaze, keeping her face as open and remorseful as possible. But her hopes for any kind of reconciliation were dashed when he turned to Calden and said, "Bring her."

"J now, Calvin." Calvin planted his feet. "It's late and she's been through." Kea had no idea what was happening, but her alarm grew when Jiren leaned forward, his voice low as he repeated much more firmly, "Now, Cal." And then he turned and strode out of the command center, clearly expecting them to follow.

Calvin swore and looked at Kea with an apology in his eyes. "I know you must be tired, but this hopefully won't take long."

"What's going on?" Ashlin asked, staring at the door, her face puzzled. "I know he's upset by everything, but he's never acted this way before. Jiren's not the kind of person to lash out or he's been through a lot," Calvin defended him.

"We've all been through a lot," Ashlin returned, her voice hard. "Some of us have even been through it alone and still managed not to lose ourselves in the process." Calvin flinched at the barely veiled reminder of how he'd avoided her for years, but he only said, "Jiren hasn't lost himself. The first few days after the masquerade were not great, but he's adjusting well considering he's only acting this way because of" He stopped talking, but he didn't need to finish. They all knew Kea being there was what had set Jiren off.

She blew out a breath and said, "Come on, we better follow him before he has something else to be angry at me about." Calvin was reluctant, but when Kea threatened to wander aimlessly around the base until she found Jiren herself, he finally led the way out of the command center, winding a path through the luminium-lit military buildings. Ashlin walked with them part of the way before stopping at the entrance to a watchtower that reminded Kea a little too much of Zalandov. The princess waved them on, saying she'd find out what all the fuss was about later, but for now she needed to locate Captain Janire and update her about the Mirven situation.

Calvin said nothing as his sister disappeared into the tower, and Ka wondered how she might encourage him to mend their relationship before noting the set of his features and realizing that now wasn't the time. Instead, she kept in step with him and asked, "Where are we going to see Nari?"

Kea stumbled slightly. "Jiren wants me to see Nari now." Her insides twisted as she wondered how the guard would react to seeing her after everything that had happened. Nari, who valued honesty and loyalty above all else. When Cal remained silent, Kea's nerves grew and she hedged, "Maybe we should wait until morning. I'd hate to wake her."

"That's exactly what we want you to do," Calvin murmured. But he said no more because they'd arrived at a clean-looking building with a healer's emblem carved into the side, indicating it was the base's infirmary. Jiren was waiting just inside the door, impatience radiating from him as he grabbed Ka by the arm and dragged her through the quiet, sterile space, past empty beds, right to the end of the room where a white curtain was drawn. Through all this, Ka was aware of nothing but his warm fingers wrapped around her elbow, certain he had no idea he was touching her, even if she felt his strong yet gentle grip right into the very core of her being. Her heart sang at his nearness, but the feeling evaporated when he released her to pull open the curtain, revealing Nari's still form lying beneath a white sheet. The guard could have been sleeping, her amber eyes closed, her normally alert features relaxed. But with a single glance, Kea knew that wasn't the case, and she staggered backwards, colliding with Calvin, who had halted directly behind her. She barely felt him steadying her, her horrified eyes locked on the guard and on the familiar black shadows of Zelica's death magic swirling around Nari's body.

Chapter 12.

"No," Kea whispered, staring at Nari's unconscious form while hearing an echo of what Calden had said earlier that evening. "Your sister did something to her. It's hard to explain. Heal her." The two hard words made Kea turn from Nari to meet Jiren's stormy gaze. The look on his face. Kea flinched and curled in on herself, unable to bear the fury in his eyes and worse, the devastation. "I I'm not sure." Her voice was choked, but she drew in a deep breath and admitted, "I don't know how to heal this."

Jiren's expression didn't change, so Kea took a shaky step forward, touching a trembling hand to Nari's skin. Her flesh was warm, her pulse strong. There were no wounds or signs of illness if not for the unnatural shadows. Everything about her seemed normal, healthy. Zelica's dark magic had swirled around Nana Delora when Ka had arrived at Murkwood Cottage. And soon after, Dolora had died. But this was something different. It was as if Nari was in a coma.

"And if she'd been like this for weeks, how has she been eating and drinking?" Kea asked, her healer sensibilities kicking in, helping her push past her initial horror.

"She hasn't been," Calvin said. "She should have died from dehydration weeks ago. She should have wasted away to nothing. But instead," he indicated her perfectly fit physique. "It's like she's frozen in time. Kept alive by Zelica's magic, but also kept well like this."

Kea marveled at what her sister's power was capable of, even as every part of her recoiled. "Heal her," Jiren ordered again, his hands bunched into fists.

Kea bit her lip. "I told you I don't know if I" She stopped abruptly when Jiren's eyes trapped hers like twin pools of raging fire and he said, "It's the least you can do after everything else you've done." That was a direct hit straight to Kea's heart. It took her a moment to fight the tears that wanted to pour from her eyes, and she only managed because Cal moved closer, offering his silent support.

"Give him time," he'd said. "But Ka was beginning to fear that all the time in the world wouldn't help mend her relationship with Jiren. Healing Nari was a good place to start, though." Determined to make at least one thing right between them, Ka reached through the shadows to lay her hands over the guard's chest. She refused to think about how temperamental her magic had been of late and instead closed her eyes and focused on the power in her blood, coaxing it to the surface. Without a discernable injury or sickness, Ka concentrated on the death magic itself, willing her golden light to appear and destroy its hold on Nari. Last time, she'd only managed to break Zelica's power by recalling her grandmother's words. "Be the light in the dark." She repeated those same words to herself now. "Be the light in the dark. I am the light in the dark."

But even without opening her eyes, Ka knew nothing was happening, and her shoulders began to slump as fear and sadness took hold. This was Nori. Ka needed to save her to heal her. It should have been instinctive, her magic flowing on command. And yet, not even a hint of light appeared, no matter how hard she tried to summon it forth.

"You can do this," Calvin encouraged quietly from her side, sensing her flailing spirit. But he was wrong. Kea withdrew her hands and didn't look at anyone. Not Calden, not Nari, especially not Jiren. As she said, "I'm sorry." The words broke. "There's something wrong with my magic. I don't know what it is, but I can't I can't heal her."

She wasn't surprised when the next thing she heard was Jiren's angry footsteps moving away from them. She'd failed him. She'd failed Nari. She'd failed.

"Hey, stop that," Calvin said, grabbing her hands and opening her palms to keep her nails from tearing her flesh. "You're just tired. We can try again tomorrow." Tomorrow wasn't going to change anything. But Kea didn't say as much, certain that if she opened her mouth, she'd only start sobbing again.

"Let's get you to bed," Calvin said gently, wrapping his arm around her and guiding her away from Nari. Kea didn't look back as they walked away, knowing it was cowardly and hating herself for it. In an emotion-clogged, painful-sounding voice, she asked, "Can you take me to tip?"

Calvin tensed at her side, even as he continued leading her from the infirmary back out into the night. "The Morin tonic. I won't disturb him," Kea said, aware that the sleeping draft Tip had taken would keep him unconscious until morning. "I just want to be near him. I want to be there when he wakes."

Calvin hesitated for another moment. "I don't think this is your best idea." Despite his warning, he turned and led her in a different direction until they eventually came to a large utilitarian building shaped like an L. "Most of the soldiers sleep in shared dormitories," Calvin said, pointing to the longer side of the L. "But guards with higher rankings have private quarters. Jiren and I were given two rooms in this block when we arrived, and we found another for Tip earlier tonight. He's in here."

Even knowing Tip would be asleep, Kea's pulse sped up as Calvin opened the door to the building. Together, they traversed a quiet hallway full of more doors leading to individual rooms until he brought her to a stop in front of one of them. Kea's breath hitched when she stepped inside the darkened room and caught sight of Tip sleeping on a bed in the corner. His mouth was open and he was snoring lightly, his freckled face at peace. The last time she'd seen him, he'd had tears in his eyes after learning the truth about who she was, and then Zelica had knocked him unconscious. Kea knew she had a lot to answer for, but just being near him again and knowing he was safe eased something within her.

"There's only one bed," Calvin said quietly. "I'll go find you. I'll sleep on the floor," Kea said, already moving to Tip's side and sliding down to the ground. "You'll wake up sore all over," Calvin argued. "I've slept in worse places," Kea said. The shower block at Zalandov coming to mind along with the abyss. "I'll be fine." Unable to resist, she brushed a tendril of red hair off Tip's forehead.

Calvin sighed loudly, then moved toward Kea and lowered himself beside her. She looked at him in confusion. "What are you doing?"

"If I end up with a cricked neck, you're giving me a massage tomorrow," he said, leaning his head against Tip's mattress, his long legs stretched out in front of him. He closed his eyes and said, "Go to sleep, Kea."

She couldn't keep the tears from welling this time, knowing he was only staying there for her. "Gods, don't start crying again," Calvin mumbled, somehow sensing her overflowing emotions, even with his eyes closed. "Come here." He reached out blindly and drew her closer until her head rested on his shoulder. And only then did he repeat, "Sleep, Ka." And so curled up next to him, she tried to calm her aching heart enough to follow his command.

Despite her best efforts, it took Kea hours to fall asleep that night. When she finally woke in the morning, the first thing she noticed was that both Tip and Calvin were gone. Hurt flooded her as she realized Tip must not have wanted to see her. But before she could let the pain take root, the door to the room opened. She looked up, her hopes rising, only to see Ashlin step through, dressed in the same leather-like armor as her guards, only her outfit was white rather than black, making the weapons strapped to her body stand out in stark contrast.

"Wow, you look thrilled to see me," the princess said dryly. "Sorry," Ka said, standing up and stretching her stiff muscles. "I thought you were someone else."

Ashlin's face turned sympathetic. "They just need time," Ka said glumbly. "I know." Thankfully, the princess didn't offer false comfort. "I brought you some breakfast. Cal said he forgot to get you some food last night, so you need to eat." She held out a plate, then lowered a canvas bag from her shoulder to the ground. "I brought some of my clothes, too. When you're ready, I'll take you to the bathing chamber, but I want to check your burn first to make sure it's healed enough to get wet."

Kea wrinkled her nose as she took the food. "You're very pushy, just like your brother."

"He and I are as similar as we are different," Ashlin said, a pained note in her voice. Carefully, Kea hedged. "Can I ask eat?" Ashlin ordered, making it clear that she didn't want to talk about Calden. "We have a lot to do today, starting with Galrich."

At the mention of the ex-rebel leader, Ka obediently started shoveling eggs and beans and toast into her mouth. She finished the plate in record time and then, at Ashlin's urging, pushed aside her collar so the princess could inspect her wound. The tight fit of the material made it difficult to see the whole burn. So Kea had to unlace the front of the dress and wriggle out of the sleeves, leaving her standing in the middle of the room, holding the bodice to her chest, her bare back facing the door. She didn't hear it open. But she did hear the growled, "What the hell?"

Kea whipped around, her eyes as wide as saucers. She gripped the dress tighter, quickly, checking to make sure it was fully covering her front, even knowing that a greater damage had already been done. Because Jiren was standing in the doorway, and given what he'd said, and how he'd said it, he'd clearly seen her shoulder. In three long strides, he was standing before her and ordering, "Turn around."

Kea was frozen to the spot. "Jiren," Ashlin tried a careful warning in her voice, but he cut her off. "Kea, turn around." It was the sound of her name on his lips that unfroze her and her eyes shot to his. There was something in his expression that she didn't dare read into, needing to protect her broken heart. But even so, she saw it. He was concerned for her and for some reason that terrified her. Kea began trembling visibly enough that Jiren noticed. His face changed then, gentling slightly, transforming him not quite into the Jiren she'd once known, but close. Quieter, he said, "Please, Kea, turn around and let me see."

She couldn't deny his soft, pleading voice, so she turned, bearing her shoulder to him and hearing his swift intake of breath. "Who did this to you?" he asked in that same quiet tone, but now it was brimming with something else. "Anger."

Ka's mouth was too dry to speak, so Ashlin answered for her. "I told you last night, Navic wanted to see her healing magic. When she refused, he had one of his anomalies hit her with a fireball, burning straight through to the bone. He didn't realize she can't heal herself."

"And before you ask, it happened yesterday. I had to give her Serpent's kiss just so we could escape last night."

"Serpent's kiss?" Jiren repeated, sounding horrified. "Are you insane? You could have killed her."

"It was that or leave her there to marry the bastard," Ashlin defended. "Since when do you care anyway?" The words were said as a challenge, but they prompted an icy silence during which Kea couldn't bring herself to turn back around and face Jiren. She didn't know what his reaction meant, whether his concern was out of habit or whether some part of him did still care for her. Either way, her heart felt lighter than it had in months until Galdrich is awake. Jiren shared his reason for being there, his tone now emotionless, as if Ashlin's question had indeed reminded him about his feelings. "He won't talk without Ka being present. Everyone is waiting for you both."

Kea spun around just in time to see Jiren disappearing through the doorway. Ashlin winced. "Sorry. I saw the look on his face and I just I thought that would go differently."

"It's not your fault," Kea said, releasing a frustrated breath. "I'm as surprised as you that he" She trailed off, feeling foolish for even thinking the word "cared."

"Love isn't something you can turn on and off at will," Ashlin said gently. "From what I just witnessed, whatever Jiren once felt for you hasn't changed, no matter how hard he might be trying to ignore it."

"That's what makes this so hard, though," Ka said, staring woefully at the empty doorway. "He's torturing himself. No, I'm torturing him just by being here. I'm a constant reminder of everything he's lost."

"I think you might not be giving him enough credit," Ashlin said, helping relace Ka's dress. "Jiren is one of the smartest people I know. You lied to him and betrayed him, but from what I've heard, you also chose him over your own family. And you didn't stab him with the eye of the gods. You saved his life. He's acting emotionally right now, but he'll come to his senses. You'll see."

Kea appreciated Ashlin's confidence, even if she struggled to feel the same way. And yet, as she followed the princess to the communal bathing chamber and showered quickly before donning her new clothes, leathery white armor almost identical to Ashlin's, she couldn't help envisioning Jiren's face again, not the angry, blank expression he'd worn for most of their reunion, but the gentle, softer look he'd revealed upon seeing she was injured. That was her Jiren. He was still in there. And that more than anything else allowed her to hope.

Chapter 13.

Galdrich was waiting for them in the command center, sitting comfortably at the head of the rectangular table. His bruises had faded slightly. His hair was clean and tied back in a leather band. His beard was trimmed short and neat, and he'd been given a fresh set of clothes, making him look like an entirely new person. The moment Kea entered the room beside Ashlin, Galdrich's brown eyes locked on her, as did everyone else's. Just like last night, Jiren, Calvin, and were all there. But to her surprise, so were Terrell and Cresta, both unbound and like Galdrich, much cleaner and wearing new clothes in black like Jiren and Calvin and the rest of the outpost soldiers.

When Ka looked at Ashlin in question, she just shrugged and said, "We have bigger problems to deal with right now. We can decide their fates later." Kea offered a grateful nod and moved directly toward her brother. No longer fettered by ropes, he drew her into a tight embrace, but released her immediately when she sucked in a pained breath.

"What's wrong?" Terrell asked, looking her over. "Nothing," Ka said, ignoring her aggravated shoulder. "Just stiff from sleep." She turned to Calvin before to could call her on her lie and asked, "Where's Tip?"

"He's with Nari," Calvin answered, causing renewed guilt to churn within Kea. "He uh got up early and didn't want to wake you." Now Calen was the one who was lying, but Kea repressed what she was feeling and focused on why they had all gathered, returning her attention to Galdrich. He was still watching her closely, so she walked toward him and took a seat at the table with everyone else doing the same around her.

Before she could decide how to begin her questioning, Galdrich spoke first. "Whatever you think you know, you're wrong." The words echoed around the room, causing Kea to frown. And she wasn't alone.

"Perhaps you'd like to expand on that," Calvin said, seated next to Kea and giving her hand a quick, reassuring squeeze under the table. "I suggest you start at the beginning."

Galdrich turned his soulful eyes to Terrell. "Your mother never wanted to hurt anyone. You know that." To clenched his jaw and said nothing. "Everything you think she did, that was never her," Galdrich said, his voice begging them all to believe him. "The first time she channeled Torven's dark magic, she instantly knew it was a mistake, and she swore never to do it again. But then Zelica learned that she could use it, too. And she liked how that power made her feel. She enjoyed hurting people, killing people. Tilda saw it happening, and she didn't know what to do, so she covered for Zelica and took the blame, making everyone think it was her. But every horror story you've heard about the rebel queen, it was always Zelica."

"You expect us to believe that?" Ashlin asked, resting her elbows on the table.

"It's the truth," Galdrich said. "It's the reason Tilda was so desperate to free Kea from Zalandov. She risked everything by going to Navic for help." He turned to Kea and said, "She never meant for you to marry him. She was going to reneg on the deal as soon as you were out. I swear that was the plan." Like Terrell, Ka said nothing, but her heart was pounding with uncertainty.

"You're the only one who can save your sister," Galdrich declared. "Save her?" Ashlin repeated, her silvery gaze narrowed. Galdrich nodded. "From herself," he said, "Kaver's magic can heal the darkness out of her, destroying her power entirely." Navick had implied something similar, but still Kea remained unconvinced.

"Tilda couldn't do it herself," Galdrich went on. "Since once a quarantine uses death magic, their healing ability becomes significantly less powerful. Kea was is the only chance Zelica has. The only chance we all have should Zelica decide to test the limits of her magic. If you knew what she could do," he shuddered visibly.

"I think we have a pretty good idea by now," Jiren said, his expression dark.

"Forgive me, your highness. But I doubt that," Galdrich argued. "Zelica is still coming into her power. Whatever you've seen is nothing compared to what she'll be able to do with more time and practice. If left unchecked, she'll be able to bring the world to its knees. And I mean that literally." Kea recalled the feeling of being trapped by Zelica's power, her own body refusing to listen to her. If Galdrich was telling the truth, and Zelica's magic was still growing, Everworld helped them.

"So according to you, Tilda went to Navic for help getting Kea out of Zelandov. All to stop, sorry, save Zelica," Ashlin summarized, tapping her fingernails on the table. "Why go to so much trouble? This one?" She jabbed her thumb toward Terrell. "Got that one?" Another thumb jab toward Ca out without breaking a sweat. "And while that only happened because there are so many new guards after the riot that no one noticed anything arry, it still proves that there are other jailbreak options that don't require making deals with foreign kings."

Galdrich's face fell as he said, "Tilda wasn't thinking clearly. The death magic wanted to be released and she kept repressing it. But it was like holding back the tide. And when she refused to let the power leave her, it filled her up on the inside, making her sick, slowly killing her." Kea's eyes met Terrell's, the blood illness, the one that had caused their mother's ailing health and blindness. Nana Dellora had said it was the death magic that had caused it, but Kea had assumed that meant Tilda had been practicing the magic, not resisting it. She wanted to believe Galdrich, to not despise the mother she'd once loved, but there was still so much that didn't add up.

"You're saying she went to Miran because she wasn't thinking straight?" Jiren asked, his skepticism clear. "If that's the case, why didn't you stop her?"

"I tried," Galdrich said, laying his hands out before him. "I followed her, told her we had other options, but she was so far out of her mind with worry, consumed by the single thought of getting to Navoc, that she attacked me. She nearly killed me." The bloodied cloak the rebels had found that had been caused by Tilda. Kea realized she didn't mean to.

"She felt awful afterward and she healed me as best as she could, but her healing magic wasn't what it once was," Galdrich said quieter. "Even so, I refused to leave her and she refused to give up her plan. So we continued to Zadria with me trying to talk sense into her the whole way. By the time we arrived, my wounds had become infected, and I" He shut his eyes and admitted, "there was nothing I could do to stop her. I was unconscious when she made her deal with Navoc. I only learned the extent of it when she was already on her way to Zalandov. And then I was locked in Navoc's dungeon as collateral to ensure she would return with her promised daughter." He looked at Ka again and shared, "Navoc couldn't go and get you himself. Not then. He couldn't risk drawing attention to what he was planning. But after everything with the trial by ordeal and you ending up at the river palace and then Zelica's takeover, well," Galdrich shrugged. "When you returned to Zalandov, he didn't care so much about hiding his intentions."

Silence fell as they processed his words, but then Calon said, his tone just as skeptical as Jiren's had been. "You sure know a lot for a man who's been locked in a dungeon for 6 months."

"Navach liked to visit me," Galdrich answered, staring at his hands. "He wanted to hear about the rebels, about Zelica's magic, about a lot of things, but mostly he wanted to talk, to gloat. It was clear he never planned on releasing me, so he felt safe telling me things I'm guessing he's now regretting."

Ashlin leaned forward. "What kinds of things?"

Before Galdrich could answer, a loud snort caused all eyes to turn to Cresta. "Don't tell me we're believing this guy," she asked, sounding amused. She pointed a finger at Galdrich and said, "I think you're a clever man who has had plenty of time to come up with a version of events that makes you feel better. And from what you've said, you now expect us to throw Kea at her psychotic sister. All so she can what? Save the world." Cresta snorted again. "She can barely keep herself alive, let alone the rest of us." She waved a dismissive hand. "And besides, her magic isn't working. So, if you want to stop Zelica, save her, whatever, then you're going to need another plan."

Galdrich's gaze fastened on Ka, his concern palpable. "What's wrong with your magic?" Ka shifted in her seat and didn't answer. "How much training have you had?" Galdrich pressed. Seeing her face, he added, "You have been training, haven't you?"

"Considering she spent the last 10 years hiding who she was from, oh, everyone," Cresta said dryly. "I think it's safe to assume the answer to that is a big fat no." She chuckled darkly and added, "Can you imagine her swanning around the river palace, throwing her healing magic everywhere? I'd have paid to see that."

Kea scowled at Crusta. "I don't swan. I don't even know what that means."

"Of everything I just said, that's what you ladies, please," Calvin cut her off, though Ka saw his lips twitching and she shifted her scowl to him.

"You need to start training immediately," Galdrich said, reclaiming everyone's attention. "Magic is like a muscle. You need to exercise it to strengthen it. And you need to be strong if you're to survive against."

"This has nothing to do with strengthening it," Kea interrupted, feeling sick at the thought of facing her sister again. "I can't even access it at the moment. Something about it, about me, is broken." It was difficult to admit the truth. But if what happened with Nari last night was any indication, her problem was only getting worse.

"When was the last time you used it without issue?" Galdrich asked. Kea wished they could have this conversation in private. "10 weeks ago." She didn't mention the masquerade, only said, "I used a lot of magic that day."

"She healed me from a fatal wound," Terrell shared. "She also healed Jiren from one a few hours later," Calvin said, making Kea fight to keep her eyes from drifting toward the crown prince. "And just before that, she destroyed Zelica's hold on us. The entire room lit up from the power of her magic."

"Did she just overdo it?" Ashlin asked, frowning slightly. "10 weeks is a long time. She should have recovered by now." Kea fiddled with one of the many buckles on her outfit, uncomfortable with their collective focus being on her.

"No, that's not it," Galdrich said, his tone thoughtful enough that Ka looked up to find him watching her closely. Too closely. "You're afraid, aren't you?" The ex-rebel leader's words were soft, a statement rather than a question. Kea stiffened.

"Now that you know what your magic can do, how it can be used for both good or evil. You're terrified," Galdrich said quietly. "You're so scared of your own power that you're sabotaging yourself. That's why your magic isn't working. because you're stopping yourself."

A quick denial rose on Kea's lips. "I'm not."

"They had to choose, you know," Galdrich said over her. "Tilda Zelica. They had to actively decide to use their magic for evil. Your mother instantly regretted her decision, as I told you before. But it wasn't something that happened to them. They made it happen." He leaned forward and held her eyes. "You are who you decide to be, Ka. Good or bad. It's your decision. Your magic is a tool. You wield it, not the other way around. It can't turn you into someone you don't want to be. That's not how it works." His tone softened as he finished. "You don't have to fear your magic, but you do need to nurture it, embrace it, strengthen it, and when you do, Ka, you could change the world, heal the world."

Kea was breathing too fast, painfully aware of everyone looking at her. "I don't want to change the world," she said hoarsely. "I just want everyone I care about to be safe."

The intensity didn't leave Galdrich. "They won't be as long as your sister stands unchallenged. But you already know that, don't you?" Kea swallowed and looked down, unable to respond. A strained pause settled upon them all until Calvin said, his tone purposefully light. "Well, that's something we can add to the to-do list. Magical training for Kea. Check." She didn't have it in her to send him a grateful look. Nor could she give one to Ashlin when the princess changed the subject by saying to Galdrich, "You mentioned Navic shared things with you. Did he ever talk about the anomalies he's been collecting? And why?"

Galdrich's gaze moved from Ashlin to Calvin to Jiren until he seemed to come to a decision and said, "I've dedicated my life to seeing your family removed from power." All three Valentis royals turned rigid. "From birth, I was raised believing a quarantine should sit on Eveon's throne," Galdrich stated. "I never wavered. Not even after I learned about Torven's magic turning dark. It wasn't until I started seeing the damage for myself that I began to understand Celica's power." He shook his head woefully. "I was wrong. Even Tilda was wrong. We should have left well enough alone." He looked at Terrell, who was sitting frozen and pale. "You were right. That night you came to me and said we weren't making anything better. We were the problem," you said." Galdrich's voice dropped to a whisper. "I wish I'd listened to you."

Kea wasn't sure if Terrell was even breathing, but she did see Ashlin and Jiren staring at her brother, unable to hide their surprise. Calvin just looked smug, as if silently saying, "I told you so," to his family. In a stronger voice, Galdrich continued, speaking again to the Valentis Royals. "Something changed in me when Tilda and I went to Zadria. Once I was away from the rebel camp, I gained enough perspective to see the cost of our rebellion, the pain we were causing the people of Eveon, and I realized the price wasn't worth it. That's why I'm going to answer your questions about Navoc, because I think we made a mistake. I made a mistake, and I want to help rectify that if you'll let me." He didn't wait for their response, just inhaled deeply and revealed the anomalies. "Navic has been hunting them for months, ever since he became king. They're not as rare as people think, with their magic often being inherited from generation to generation. But they don't like to draw attention to their numbers for fear of how they'll be treated or used. So they live in hiding spread out across all of the kingdoms. Most live in secret magical communities. And when Navoc became aware of those, he sent out expert trackers to locate them. He mentioned three communities to me. One in Jerva, one in Hadras, and one"

In Galdrich paused. "I don't know how he convinces them to travel to Miran, whether he pays them or threatens them, but I do know he has a few hundred at his command now, all of whom have recently begun training their powers for combat. They're his own budding magical army, and assuming they remain devoted to him, it won't be long before he puts them into action."

"A magical army," Terrell breathed in horror, right as Ashlin gasped out, "A few hundred." The princess had estimated dozens last night, but by the sounds of it, Navic had collected significantly more than that.

Galdrich's expression was solemn. "At least the number was nothing compared to the size of Avalon's armies, but there was an immeasurable difference between a soldier armed with a sword and one armed with magic." Even Cresta looked unsettled by the news, and very little phased her.

"Can any of them do that wind thing that brought you three here so quickly yesterday?" Calvin asked, his body tense. "We've been monitoring the borders closely, but if they don't have to physically walk through them, should we be preparing for an imminent attack?"

Dread churned in Kea's stomach until Galdrich shook his head and said, "No, windfunneling is a closely guarded family secret. I'm the only anomaly in my bloodline for generations. But my distant ancestors were air elementals and they made sure the technique wouldn't be forgotten. As far as I know, there's no one else alive with the knowledge of how to do it."

"Can it be taught?" Ashlin asked. "This windfunneling. It'll take Navic's anomalies a long time to figure it out without someone instructing them."

"Years, decades, even," Galdrich answered.

"Not them," Ashlin said. "Can it be taught to me?"

Galdrich sat back in his seat, taking a moment to decide whether his allegiances truly had shifted enough to reveal something so secretive to his once enemy. But finally he said, "I've never tried to teach anyone, but we can give it a go." He then warned, "It won't be easy."

"I'm not afraid of a challenge," the princess said coolly.

Galdrich opened his mouth to reply, but Jiren got in first. If he was upset that his cousin was about to learn a rare magical skill, he hid it well. But Kea's heart ached for him all over again.

"There's something I still don't understand," he said, his golden brows scrunched. "Why did Navoc agree to Tilda's deal?" To Ashlin, Jiren added, "You were right last night. It has to be more than just allying with the rebels, especially if he has these anomalies. Why would he agree to marry a quarantine? And why Kea specifically rather than Zelica?" His gaze narrowed as he watched Galdrich, who was now squirming in his seat. "What aren't you telling us?"

As they all stared at the ex-rebel leader, he grew visibly distressed until he finally lost his composure and covered his bruised face with his hands. "I didn't want to tell him. I swear I didn't." Galdrich's words were muffled by his fingers, but he figured out I was hiding something, so he hurt me, and I—" He made a sound that was full of regret.

"Tell him what?" Ashlin's voice was as hard as her expression.

Galdrich removed his fingers, his weathered features wretched as he answered about the hand of the gods. He seemed to be bracing for their reactions, but Kea looked around the table to find puzzled faces mirroring hers. Noting this, Galdrich explained, "You know about the eye of the gods? How it was gifted to Sarana and had the power to take away Torven's magic?"

"We're aware of it."

"Yes," Jiren said shortly, causing Kea to wince and sink deeper in her chair. "Well," Galdrich said, "the ancient gods bestowed another gift long ago back when Torven was still using his magic for good. It was given to both him and Sarana when they were ruling the kingdom together." He took a deep breath and revealed, "The eye of the gods destroys magic, but the hand of the gods creates it."

Kea turned as still as a statue, her eyes instantly flicking to Jiren. "What does that mean?"

"Calvin demanded. "You've never wondered where magic came from? How the early anomalies received their powers?" Galdrich asked. "The hand of the gods gifted magic to people. Elemental magic, that is. I've never heard of anyone outside of the quarantine line having healing magic or death magic for that matter."

"In all my research, I've yet to understand why that focus," Cresta said sharply. "Why did Navoc want to know about the hand of the gods?"

"I'm assuming you've realized by now that he wants to conquer not just Eve, but all the kingdoms in Wenderol," Galdrich asked, to which he received stiff nods in response. "That's his goal, but there's one thing he's always wanted more than that. It's another reason why he's been gathering the anomalies. Navoc is obsessed with magic. When he heard a rumor years ago that it might be possible for him to obtain his own powers, he became fixated on finding out how."

Galdrich swallowed. "I told you he kept me in Zadria to ensure Tilda would return with Ka, but that wasn't the whole truth. He'd also learned that I come from a long line of Torven sympathizers with forgotten ancient knowledge having been protected and passed on through my family. I tried. I couldn't." He— Galdrich pulled himself together and quietly said he was going to kill me if I didn't tell him what I know."

"What do you know?" Calvin asked, sitting rigidly beside Ka. "What did you tell him?"

"Everything," Galdrich said miserably. "That's why he wants Kea so badly because without her, the hand won't work. But with her, he has the potential to gain his own magic."

"Explain that," Jiren said, his eyes a flame. "A proper explanation this time. Everything Navoc knows, we need to know."

Galdrich didn't hesitate. "The hand of the gods was intended to be used by both Torven and Sarana together, since it was a symbol of their peaceful union and the prosperity they wished not just for their kingdom, but the entirety of Wenderol. As such, it can only work by combining Valentis magic and quarantine magic. Healing magic, that is, not death magic." His eyes locked with Kea's startled ones. "You're the last remaining quarantine with healing magic. Navic needs you. He also needs Valentis magic. But he waved toward the royals. There are a few who he could use, including Princess Mirin. Sorry, Queen Mirin, who is already working with him. But you, Ka?" Galdrich's expression turned remorseful. "Navic heard from your mother that you were powerful, so initially he wanted you for that alone, especially when he learned what Zelica could do. But once I told him about the hand, he wasn't going to stop until you were his. He still won't."

Kea's heart was roaring in her chest. "What is the hand?" Her voice tightened with dread as she added, "Does Navic already have it?"

"No. Thank the gods," Galdrich said, causing everyone to relax slightly. "It's four rings, each representing an element. And it only works when Valentis magic is pushed into them. One for earth, one for air, one for fire, and one for water."

Kea thought about the amulet she wore beneath her clothes, and how, when it was imbued with magic, it could protect her from the elements. The four rings sounded as if they had similar power-absorbing abilities with the added benefit of gifting magic, not just protecting from it.

"Once Sarana's magic was in the rings," Galdrich said, "Torven wore them all at once, coaxing his own healing magic through them, focusing his power to merge with Sarana's. That was all it took to essentially fuse the elemental magic into another person." His voice lowered. "When Torven started using death magic, the hand stopped working. But Sarana was concerned about him having children one day who might inherit his healing power since she knew if they came for the rings, he'd be able to build his own magical army."

Much like what Navik was already doing without the hand, Kea thought, her anxiety growing. So she separated them and had her closest allies from Jerva, Hadrris, Velour, and Ardan hide them in their own kingdoms. Navoc doesn't know where they are. I told him she buried them deep in the uninhabited north, but he sent a team to search for them, and he'll soon discover the truth. He's smart and he has the resources to learn who she really gave them to, especially now that he knows what questions to ask." He made a helpless, apologetic gesture before finishing. "He can't do anything until he has all four rings, each imbued with magic, and then Ka to wield them. But still, it's not an ideal situation."

Calvin glared at him. "You think?"

"You said he needs Valentis magic," Ashlin pointed out. "Mirren can give him air and fire, but that's all. So, he doesn't just need Kea, he also needs us. And we won't—"

"Oriel and Aunt Ariana," Calvin swore. "They're still at the river palace. They can give him earth and water." Jiren clenched his jaw at the reminder that his mother and brother remained hostages in Valenia. Kea knew it had to be eating him up inside, but feared any comfort she might offer would only make things worse.

"It's also possible that Sarana's power is still in the rings," Galdrich told them. "They could be ready to go without needing any extra Valentis magic."

Calvin swore again. "So all Navic needs is to find the rings," Terrell summarized, having stayed silent for most of Galdrich's speech. "And then coerce Kea into helping him and he'll be able to—"

"I'm afraid so," Galdrich confirmed. This time it was Jiren who cursed before rubbing his temples and frowning down at the table. "We need to get to them first," he said. "We can't risk Navoc having that kind of threat looming over us. He's already powerful with magic; he could be unstoppable."

Before anyone could agree or argue, Cresta started chuckling. "I'm impressed," she said, smirking at Jiren. "My first thought was that if we took Kea out of the equation—" she sliced a finger across her own throat. "Then there'd be no threat. But well done to you for not going there, Cresta."

Terrell snapped while Kea just shot her a disapproving look. "What?" Cresa said. "I can't be the only one thinking it." To Kea, she added, "I don't want you dead. But you have to admit you're causing all kinds of problems."

"Has no one else thought about the obvious yet?" Kea asked, ignoring the redhead and voicing what she'd realized the moment Galdrich had mentioned what the hand could do. "If we get the rings, then Jiren can get his magic back." Everyone around her stilled enough to indicate they hadn't thought about it. The openly stunned look on Jiren's face had Ka's cheeks heating, and she quickly added, "And we could also create our own magical army to defend against Navox. So, keeping the hand from him won't just stop him from gaining his own power, but it'll mean we can stop him from taking over Eveon and Wenderol."

There was a pause while her companions processed her words, and then Ashlin said, "That's a solid argument, but if we go after the hand, it could take us weeks, months. We'd have to travel across the continent and then figure out where the rings are."

"That whole time, Zelica—"

"Pardon me," Galdrich interrupted. "But the rings were given to the ruling families of the kingdoms I mentioned before. Only for safekeeping, though. You merely have to ask for them back."

"We'd still have to travel."

"I can use my windfunneling," Galdrich offered. "We'll need to ride part of the distance on horseback, but once we're within a few hundred miles of each city, I can magic us the rest of the way." He eyed Ashlin. "If you're a quick learner, you can too."

"Bold of you to assume you're coming," Calvin said to the ex-rebel leader.

"If you don't want to lose weeks traveling all while Zelica wreaks havoc on Eve and Navic prepares to invade with his magical army, then you need me," Galdrich stated evenly. "And I can offer guidance with Ka's training, too. Don't forget, when Navoc is no longer a threat, she'll still need to face her sister."

The queasy feeling returned to Kea's stomach. "I don't like this," Ashlin said, her lips pursed. "By going after the rings, we could be playing right into Navic's hands."

"We most likely will be," Jiren said, looking equally unhappy. "But would you be content doing nothing while he's actively searching for them? Wouldn't it be better to have them secure in our possession? If he tries to steal them from us, we'll be ready. We'll be expecting it. And like Ka said, we can use them to create our own elemental army to combat his. That alone is reason enough to risk it."

That seemed to sway Ashlin. But Jiren wasn't finished. "I'm the last person to want to leave Eveon right now," he said in a low, pained voice, knowing that Zelica and Mirin are on the throne, that Mother and Aie are their captives. His throat bobbed. "I hate it more than you can imagine, but I also recognize the danger Navic poses. We need to prioritize our enemies. Once we get the rings, we can deal with him and then we can give our undivided attention to removing Zelica and Mirin from power."

Ashlin held his impassioned eyes before finally nodding. "Let's do it," she said. "I'll send word to the other outposts and have some of our soldiers make for Valenia while we're away, just in case any of Navic's anomalies manage to slip through the border unnoticed."

"Edrin, can you see to that?" Kea jolted, having again forgotten that the stealthy man had been in the room the whole time.

"I think I'll be more useful accompanying you," he countered in a soothing rumble. "We still have questions about the anomalies. Galdrich said he knows of magical communities in three of the kingdoms you're traveling to. While you're collecting the rings, I can seek them out and try to uncover some answers."

"Smart," Jiren said quietly. "Good point," Ashlin agreed before rising to her feet. "Windfunneling or not, we don't have any time to waste. Take the rest of the day to prepare and then first thing tomorrow we'll set out."

"We who?" Ka asked, cocking an eyebrow. "I'm a free woman now. I have things to do, places to see, people to—"

"You're coming with us," Ashlin said. Her eyes speared toward Terrell. "You two. Neither of you are going anywhere until all this is over and I can figure out what to do with you."

"I wouldn't leave Ka anyway," Tor said.

"I would," Ca grumbled. But Ka could see the lie written on her face. Despite herself, Cresta was intrigued, maybe even excited to be included in their plans.

The group dispersed shortly after that with Ashlin heading off to send word to her military leaders, but only after ordering to Cresta and Galdrich to help Edin gather supplies for their journey, not so subtly indicating that she wanted them to remain under the guard's watchful eyes. Once they were gone, Jiren departed as well, leaving Ka alone with Calden. She stared longingly at his retreating back as he exited the command center, disappointed that he hadn't fawned toward her, even after learning that the hand could return his magic. Nevertheless, the concern she'd seen from him earlier that morning remained with her, continuing to give her hope.

"Everything will be all right," Kea told herself as she agreed to help Calvin pack and followed him out into the summer sunshine. "We'll find the rings. Jiren will get his magic back. We'll stop Navic. And then Zelica and I will—" Ka's thoughts came to a screeching halt when she caught sight of Tip standing just outside the command center doorway talking with Jiren. Their heads were bent together. Tip was wearing a gap-toothed smile, and Jiren was grinning back at him, his expression lighter than anything she'd seen since they'd been reunited, causing her heart to skip a beat. Jiren used to grin at her like that all the time. But now, gods, she missed him. But she focused on Tip, who had just noticed her, the smile falling from his face.

"Maybe you shouldn't," Calvin murmured under his breath. But Kea moved forward before he could finish. She barely made it two steps before Tip spun on his heel and stalked away. Ka froze, wanting to call out, but fearing he would ignore her, certain he would ignore her. "Tip," she whispered, staring after him, her eyes welling. A slight movement made her look from his shrinking figure back to Jiren, who was still standing there, watching her closely. For a second she thought she saw a flash of pity in his blue-gold gaze, before it was gone again in an instant, and then so was he, taking off after Tip and not looking back.

Chapter 14.

That night, Ka found herself in the infirmary again. It was after midnight, but she couldn't sleep. Partly because she was anxious about the journey they were about to undertake, but mostly because she couldn't stop thinking about her encounter with Tip earlier that day. He'd avoided her completely in the hour since then, had even relocated to Jiren's room that evening because he knew she wouldn't venture there. He was doing everything he could to stay away from her. And while she understood, it still hurt. If only he would allow her to speak with him, to explain.

Kea sighed and pulled back the curtain to Nari's bed, finding the guard looking exactly as she had the previous night. For a long moment, Ka did nothing, just stared down at her friend and the dark shadows swirling around her. But then she reached out and linked their fingers together. "Galdrich's right," Ka said quietly. "I am scared of my magic. I'm scared of myself." She exhaled and admitted, "But I'm more scared of losing anyone else who I care about. I need you back, Nari. We need you back." Her words didn't pull Nari from her unnatural slumber, but she hadn't come to the infirmary just to talk to her friend.

"You are who you decide to be," Galdrich had told her that morning. "Good or bad, it's your decision." As anxious as she was about what her magic could do and who she might become right now, Kea knew herself. She'd been through hell to get to where she was. Suffered more in 10 years, even in 10 weeks, than many people did in an entire lifetime. There was no part of her that was tempted to even consider using her power for evil. Kea had made mistakes, terrible, awful, life-ruining mistakes. But for better or worse, she'd always done what she thought was right. Her magic didn't define who she was, nor did it have the power to decide her fate. Tilda had chosen to embrace death magic, however briefly. Zelica had chosen the same dark path, but that wasn't Ka's choice, and it never would be. "You're different from them," her grandmother had said just before she'd died. "The light to their darkness."

Standing there looking down at Nari, Ka felt something settle within her. Her magic was a gift, not a weapon. She had no reason to fear it. It was a part of her as real and as life-giving as the very blood in her veins. She decided what to do with it. No one else. And she was determined to use it for good. Past, present, and future. She would always use it for good, starting right now.

Inhaling deeply, Kea tightened her grip on Nari and closed her eyes, calling to the magic in her blood. She didn't allow her mind to wander down the path of fear, refusing to give power to the darkness of possibility. Whispering to herself, Kea chanted, "I am good. I am in control, and I am not afraid." She'd thought it would be difficult, that she would have to fight for it and wrestle it into submission. But it was as if her magic had been waiting for her to finally summon it, to embrace it, to accept it. Almost immediately, her fingers began to tingle, and warmth flooded her veins. Right before golden light seared through her closed eyelids as her power flowed out in gentle healing waves. Kea nearly wept at the feeling coursing through her. The purity of her magic, the goodness of it. It wasn't evil. She wasn't evil. A half-sob, half-laugh left her as she willed her power to destroy Zelica's shadows and release their hold on Nari. The guard's fingers twitched. Kea jumped and opened her eyes just in time to see her healing light fade, taking with it any trace of the death magic. Zelica's shadows were gone. Kea had done it. It hadn't even been hard. She just had to believe in herself to not be afraid of herself.

"Nari," Ka whispered, swaying slightly, having forgotten how exhausted she always felt after using her magic. "Nari, it's Ka. Can you?"

Amber eyes shot open. In an impossibly fast move, Nari launched herself out of bed and tackled Ka. The two of them tumbling to the ground, the sheets tangling around their legs, the curtains tearing and falling down on top of them. "What are you?" Ka gasped out, but that was all she managed before the guard's fingers wrapped around her throat. Ka had a single moment to panic before Nari's weight was suddenly gone. Her hands ripped from Kea's neck as she was hauled upward and away.

"Nari, stop." If Kea hadn't already been incapacitated by fear, she would have frozen at the sound of Jiren's commanding voice. Through the darkened infirmary, she could see him wrestling with Nari, trying to contain her.

"Let me go," Nari snarled. "Her sister is the viper. She's a quarantine. She—"

"Stop," Jiren repeated more firmly. "I know. We know. Just stop and I'll explain." At his words, the fight left Nari, even if her body remained locked with tension, her eyes wild. But then she came back to herself enough to glance around, confusion shifting across her features. "Are we at Silverthornne?" she asked, taking in the rows of empty infirmary beds.

Kea, still on the ground, looked at Jiren and demanded, "Did you follow me here?"

"Of course I did," he said instantly. "Do you really think I trust you to wander around the base alone at night?"

"Base?" Nari asked. "What base?"

But Ka didn't hear Jiren's reply over her sudden hurt. It was irrational to be so upset by his words given everything, but the pain she felt couldn't be denied. "What the hell is going on in here?" came Calvin's voice from the entrance to the infirmary. He squinted through the dark and strode quickly toward them. "The racket you're making is waking half the—" He broke off when he was close enough to see them more clearly. Jiren still restraining the no longer comatose Nari, Ka tangled in fabric on the floor. "Ah," he said, "never mind." He moved straight to Ka and pulled her up to her feet before turning to the guard, relief clear on his face. "Welcome back, Nari."

"Back?" Her tone was threatening as she growled. "Someone had better start talking or I'll—"

Jiren said something to her then, too low for Kea to hear, before he released his hold and began to lead her from the infirmary. Unlike earlier that day with Tip, this time he did look back, his eyes meeting Ka's. "Thank you," he said, his gratitude quiet but sincere. Despite still feeling stung by his unyielding resentment, those two words and the way he said them meant everything to Ka.

"Nice work, sunshine," Calvin murmured as Jiren and Nari disappeared out the door. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her into a side hug. "I know this is hard, but it'll get better. I promise."

The next morning, it became clear that Cal's promise wouldn't be coming true anytime soon. As planned, their group rose early to set out for Jerva, 10 of them in total. Jiren, Calden, Nari, Tip, Cresta, Terrell, Galdrich, and Ashlin, along with the eerily quiet Edin, and then Kea herself. Ashlin had frowned when she'd arrived to see them all mounted on stone forge horses, declaring that if they wanted to avoid attention, they needed to call the group. But Tip refused to leave Jiren and Calden, and Ashlin herself, still refused to let Terrell and Cresta out of her sight. Nari, now aware of everything that had happened since the masquerade, was glued to Jiren's side. Galdrich was needed to speed up their travel time, and Kea was the only one who could use the hand once they had all four rings. After wasting precious minutes arguing about it, Ashlin had compromised by saying the group would split up at each destination, half going for the rings and half going with Edin to the anomaly communities. She didn't say who would be in each group, but everyone agreed and they finally began their journey.

With Jerva's capital city, Yurin, sitting at the northwest tip of Wenderol, the plan was to cross into Miran before cutting directly into Karamore, aiming to make it before the injured Prince Fos Shell sent word to close the borders. When they were near enough to their destination, Galdrich would windfunnel them the rest of the way, but it would still require a week on horseback before they reached that point. Kea wasn't thrilled by that, and not just because her dappled grey mount Zephyr seemed to like her about as much as Jiren, Nari, and Tip did. "They have a reason to hate me," she muttered to the gelding as he angled his neck and tried to take a chunk out of her leg. "I gave you an apple, you miserable beast."

Aside from her nipping horse, the first few hours of riding weren't awful. The temperature was mild, the sky was clear, and there was a general feeling of anticipation in the air. Tip was bouncing around on the pony Edin had found him in the military stables, deliriously excited about their adventure, at least until Kea tried to approach him, at which point he shut down all emotion. He still hadn't said anything to her, and every time she moved Zephyr close, he kicked his pony forward and acted like she didn't exist. Like Tip, Jiren and Nari were also giving Kea the cold shoulder, which while expected, still made for an uncomfortable ride. Calvin tried to keep her spirits high, but he was dealing with his own demons being so close to his sister, and once they crossed into Miran, he rode ahead with Cresta to scout for patrolling gray guards.

"3 years later and he still can't stand to be near me," Ashlin said morosely, riding at Kea's side. "It's not like I killed our parents." Kea wanted to comfort the princess, but the only advice she had was what everyone kept telling her. "Just give him time."

The hours continued to pass with their group maintaining a good travel speed. After a quick break for lunch, Ka found herself riding beside Terrell. And while she was aware that their privacy was limited, she was worried enough about how quiet and introspective he'd been all day that she asked, "Everything all right?" His gaze flicked to her and away again before he gave a curt nod. It was obvious he didn't want to talk, but Kea was alarmed by the serious set of his features and the dull, pained look in his emerald eyes. "I'm really glad you're here," she tried, stopping Zephyr from snapping his teeth at Tor's horse.

"I know you didn't have a choice, but I'm glad I'm here, too," Tor said, his face softening as he glanced at her again. But his eyes remained haunted. She nudged her mount closer and lowered her voice to say, "You can talk to me, Tor. I know something is upsetting you." She took a risk and guessed. "If it's about Zelica, I don't want to talk about Zelica." The words were sharp and bitter.

Carefully, Kea said, "I think maybe you should. I can't imagine what you're feeling, but you're right. You can't," he said, his knuckles tensing around his reins. Kea refused to leave it at that. They might have been separated for 10 years, but before that, Terrell had always been there for her, not just as her brother, but as her friend. Even after they'd been reunited, he'd repeatedly put her welfare above his own to the point that he'd almost lost his life protecting her. But she didn't need protection from him, and she wasn't willing to let him bottle up everything he was feeling until it festered, just so he could keep her from being burdened by his own heartache.

"She stabbed you, Tor," Ka said quietly. "And she was going to attack you with her death magic, which you never even knew about. I know that has to be weighing on you."

"Ka, I said I don't want to."

"I don't care what you said," she told him firmly. "You can ignore me all you want, but we're stuck together for the foreseeable future, and one way or another, we're going to have this conversation. My preference is now, but if you—"

"She nearly killed me, Ka!" he burst out, turning to her with a ravaged expression. "Our sister, our own flesh and blood. For years, she's been murdering people, and I had no idea. She lied to me for over a decade. How do you think that makes me feel? How ashamed I am. How guilty I am. Their blood might as well be on my hands."

"To Ka," he whispered, "don't," he said hoarsely. "Don't tell me it's not my fault. I should have known. I should have stopped her. If I had, none of this would have happened. And maybe, mother." He broke off, but not quickly enough to hide his agony. Keven knew what he'd been about to say. "Maybe mother would still be alive."

"Listen to me," she said fiercely, moving as close as Zephyr would allow. "Zelica kept her power hidden for a reason. She didn't want you to know. So, while I understand wanting to blame yourself," and that was an understatement, giving her own torturous feelings, "you're not responsible for anything she did. And as for mother," Ka made sure she had Terrell's full attention before she went on. "The moment she used death magic for the first time, that was the beginning of the end for her. There's nothing you could have done."

"But I—"

"No, but," Kea said, "what you're feeling is valid, but it's also wrong." Her voice gentled as she said, "You're a good person, Tor. And if you don't believe me, answer this. If you could have kept Zelica from hurting anyone, would you have—"

"To looked incredulous? "Of course. I already said I."

"Then instead of feeling guilt and shame," Kea spoke over him. "Hold on to that because more than anything else that reveals your integrity and your heart." Terrell opened his mouth but then closed it again, his expression thoughtful as he considered Kea's words. Finally, he admitted, "Maybe you were right."

"I often am," Kea said.

"But about what specifically?"

"I needed to talk about this," Tor said, "even if I didn't want to."

"Hard conversations are never easy," Ka said.

To snorted, "That's a terrible sentence." Kea was relieved to see his humor, weak as it was. But then he sobered and said, "It's going to take time to reconcile how I feel, but I promise I'll try. And I don't know what it says about me, but it helps knowing Zelica is going to pay for what she's done. She might be our sister, but actions have consequences, and one day soon, she's going to learn that." His voice was so hard toward the end that Kea shivered, remembering that there was a reason he was the rebel general, and it wasn't because of his friendly demeanor.

Thinking it best to change the topic, Kea said, "Is anything else on your mind?" She then added, "I haven't had the chance to ask how you feel about Galdrich being, well, alive."

Tor's gaze shifted to the man in question who was riding far enough ahead to be out of hearing range. "Honestly, I'm not sure what to feel. You were close once, weren't you?"

"I thought so," Tor answered. "But since he was also lying to me that whole time, he's not my favorite person right now. If he'd told me about Zelica's magic years ago, then—" he cut himself off, shaking his head. "I can't change the past, but I can still be annoyed by it."

"That's a life motto right there," Kea said dryly. Tor's lips tipped up. But then he asked, "How are you feeling about everything? Zalandov, Navic, Zelica?" tentatively he added. "Jiren."

Kea froze, not having expected him to turn the questioning on her. "I'm—" She was saved from answering and lying by the return of Calvin and Cresta, who warned about a nearby patrol and suggested they take a break until the gray guards moved on. When it was safe to continue, Kea quickly positioned Zephyr until she was beside Edin, praying her brother would forget that she'd never responded to his questions. When Ashlin engaged Terrell in conversation and rode forward with him, Kea loosed a relieved breath. Adid looked at her strangely, but said nothing, and continued saying nothing as the hours passed, his presence calming and steadfast, his companionable silence leaving her feeling more content than she'd been in a long time. It didn't matter that her backside started to ache, and her muscles were stiffening up. She almost began to enjoy the scenery from her peaceful place beside him.

But then the landscape began to change as they traveled deeper into the craggy gray wasteland of southern Mira, making Ka shudder as she remembered her recent journey north. They wouldn't be venturing anywhere near Zadria this time. But still, when she closed her eyes, she could see Navak's handsome face, and she could feel his fist slamming into her cheek. It barely hurt anymore. The serpent's kiss lingering in her system enough to continue accelerating her healing. Even her shoulder only smarted a little toward the end of the day's ride, which was significantly better than Ka had feared.

The first night, sleeping out in the open, was unpleasant. The ground hard, the air chilly, despite the fire Calan kept ablaze with his magic. The canvas shelters they'd brought remained in their packs, with Ashlin deciding they wouldn't waste time setting up a full camp unless the weather required it. That left them all attempting to find a place around the fire where the rocky earth didn't dig painfully into their travel-sore bodies. Riding all day had left Ka exhausted. But after a quick meal of bread, cheese, and dried meats, she wasn't able to fall asleep as swiftly as those around her. It wasn't just that every pebble beneath her felt like a boulder, or that Galdrich snored loud enough to wake the dead. It was that Jiren was barely 5 ft away. The last time they'd slept so close, closer even, had been the night she'd fallen asleep in his arms after Queen Ariana's magical attack. That felt like a lifetime ago now. Unable to quiet her mind. When Kea finally managed to drift off, she was plagued by nightmares. She was back at Zalandov. Navick was ordering Zuru to attack her. Zelica's shadows were choking her. The dreams continued all night, disturbing her sleep and causing her to jolt violently awake when someone shook her shoulder.

"It's dawn," Calvin said, tugging her blanket away. "It's time to go."

"Not yet," Calvin answered over the snores still echoing around them. "It's training time, sunshine." Kea groaned and tried to reclaim her blanket, but he tossed it out of reach. "Up," he ordered, throwing some fresh clothes at her. "You've got 5 minutes." Kea didn't want to hate one of the few people who could still stand being around her. But Calvin made it difficult for her not to wish all kinds of unpleasantness upon him. She called him every foul name she could think of under her breath as she stumbled down to the stream they'd camped near. And it was only after she'd splashed frigid water on her face and changed into another of Ashlin's leathery outfits that she finally felt human enough to remember why she needed to train.

Heading back to camp, it took her a moment to spot Calvin standing beyond the makeshift corral they'd set up to contain their mounts overnight. As she rounded the pen and the horses dozing within, she noticed he wasn't alone. Jiren, Nari, and Edin were already sparring together. And to Kea's surprise, Terrell was also there facing off against Ashlin. It was easy for her to forget she was traveling with a group of veritable warriors, royals, guards, generals, spies. Her companions had spent years honing their bodies into weapons. Watching them practice unarmed combat was just as awe-inspiring as it was to witness them crossing blades. Even her brother had been given a sword with it glinting in the weak early light as he and Ashlin sparred at an alarming pace.

"I suppose it's too much to assume you kept up with your exercises while you were in Zalandov," Calvin asked, his arms crossed as he looked from the fighters to Ka.

"She did," came Cresta's yawning voice as she approached. "And I joined her, so I'll be joining you today, too."

"I thought I was training my magic," Kea asked before Calvin could protest Cresta's declaration.

"You're doing both," he said. "Magic requires strength, and strength requires endurance. Being physically fit will give you more energy and make you more powerful." He shrugged, then admitted, "That's how it works for elemental magic. I'm winging it with healing magic."

Kea glanced back at the camp where Galdrich and Tip still slept. "Maybe we should wait until—"

"Start stretching, sweet cheeks," Calvin said before eyeing Cresta. "You too."

"What? No degrading nickname for me?" Ca asked, batting her eyelashes.

"I don't think you want to hear my name for you," Calvin replied, turning and striding toward Jiren, Nari, and Adid. A flare of interest hit Cresta's hazel eyes, and Kea groaned inwardly, but the redhead locked it down as Calden returned with the sweaty Edin.

"Have you had any combat training?" the spy asked Cresta, studying her solid build with a critical eye.

"Some," she answered. Kea snorted, thinking of the fights the ex-quarer had caused at Zalandov, and doubting they counted. But Cresta shocked the humor right out of Kea when Calvin threw an assessing punch at her. Instead of ending up with a bruised sternum, Ca darted to the side and grabbed his outstretched hand, yanking him forward while angling her boot behind his knee. It took some quick footwork on his part to escape her hold without toppling to the ground, after which he sent her an impressed grin and said, "Nice," before jerking his chin at Edin. "Let's go see what else you can do," the spy told her, leading the way toward an open area beyond the sparring pairs.

"5 years, and someone can still find ways to surprise you," Keva mused, watching them walk off.

"She moves like a fighter," Calvin said. "Haven't you noticed?" Kea tried to remember everything Cresta had shared about her life before Zalandov, but she'd said nothing about having had any physical training. Although she and her mother had traveled alone after losing their family, surviving day by day, so it made sense that she would have learned some self-defense moves.

"I don't see you stretching," Calvin said pointedly. Kea quickly began to loosen her muscles, after which he tested her fitness levels. By the time she was sweating and cursing at him, he acknowledged that she'd made at least some improvement from when they'd first started training at the river palace. "Small steps are still steps," he said sagely.

But when it came to strengthening her magic, they hit a rock wall. "I don't understand why you're struggling with this," Calvin said after nearly half an hour of Kea trying to summon her power. "I thought you said you're not afraid of yourself anymore."

"I'm not," Ka said. Everyone else had finished sparring, and while Adrin and Terrell had gone to help pack up the camp, Jiren, Nari, Ashlin, and Cresta were still cooling down and drinking water from leather skins, watching her fail over and over again. "Or, I don't know. I probably always will be in the back of my mind, but that's not what's stopping me now."

"Then what is?" Calvin asked. "You just told me to wave my hand and do the shiny thing."

"That's not how it works," Kea said, exasperated. "It's not like your fire magic where you can throw it around or whatever you do."

"Then what is it like?" Calvin pressed. "How does it work?"

Kea threw out her arms. "If I knew that, I wouldn't need training, would I?" Calvin scowled at her, and she scowled right back.

"I'm sorry to add to the pressure," said Galdrich, who had joined them mid-training as soon as he'd awoken. He'd just begun explaining the basics of windfunneling to Ashlin before Kea's lack of progress had caught all their attention. "But Prince Calden is right. You should be able to throw your power in a similar manner to elemental magic. That's what Tilda learned to do with her healing magic. And that's what Zelica can do with her death magic as you've seen for yourself. There's no reason why the same isn't true for you."

Kea transferred her scowl to him. "Telling me what I should be able to do and telling me how to do it are two very different things. So far, I'm hearing a lot of the former and none of the latter." Her glare shifted back to Calvin from everyone. The prince's lips twitched. "You're delightful when you're cranky."

"I'm not cranky," Kea said, barely keeping from stomping her foot. "I just have no idea what I'm doing and you're not helping to change that."

"For the love of the world's sake," Cresta cut in, causing everyone to look toward where she sat on a boulder beside Jiren. Before they could blink, she picked up the sword she'd been sparring with and stabbed it straight into Jiren's thigh. He roared with pain. And then three things happened at once. The first was that Nari and Ashlin both tackled Cresta while Cresta yelled at Calvin, "Hold her back." The second was that Calden wrapped his arms around Kea like steel bands, stopping her from rushing to Jiren's side. The third was that seeing the blood gushing from Jiren's leg, seeing his pain, feeling his pain, Kea didn't think, she just acted. Magic erupted out of her and shot toward him like a blinding comet streaking through the distance between them. Calvin hissed a shocked expletive into her ear, and even Nari, Ashlin, and Cresta paused their scuffle to watch. It was over in seconds, the light fading as quickly as it had come, the wound gone as if it had never existed, leaving behind wet blood stains on black leather, and a stunned but otherwise perfectly healthy Jiren.

"See," Cresta said cockily, despite being on the ground with both Nari and Ashlin holding her down. "She just needed the right motivation."

Kea turned furious eyes on the redhead. "What the hell was that?"

"You're welcome," was Cresta's only reply, her eyes lit with humor.

"There's something very wrong with you," Kea snapped. She then turned to Calvin just as furious. "And you? Why did you hold me back?"

"Because I figured out what she was doing," he said shamelessly. "And she was right. You needed motivation."

Kea's blood was boiling. She got right in Cal's face and demanded, "Is that how this is going to work? You'll use how I feel about Jiren against me and hurt him every time you want me to use magic? Hasn't he suffered enough because of me?" She was breathing heavily, emotion coursing through her veins, and that was why it took her a moment to realize what she just said and who had heard. Unable to meet his eyes, Kea turned woodenly toward Jiren and, staring at his bloodied leg, choked out, "Are you all right?"

He didn't answer for so long that she was forced to look up at his face only to find an unreadable emotion in his eyes. "I'm fine," he eventually said. Hearing that, Kea felt relief along with enough mortification and residual anger that she nodded tersely and strode away. She didn't talk to anyone for the rest of the day.

Chapter 15.

The following days continued much like the first, with the only change being the scenery shifting from Miran's craggy landscape to Kamore's barren, windswept plains. News of the broken alliance hadn't yet spread, so they had no trouble crossing the border. And Ka quickly found that where Navak's kingdom was largely gray and desolate, Kamore was brown and yellow and equally bleak. It was said that the northern part of the kingdom was much more habitable, especially toward the seaside capital, Terrath. But their travel party wasn't venturing that far. Instead, skirting the edge of the expansive Wicker woods and cutting straight across toward Hadras.

As the days passed, Kea's body ached relentlessly from being in the saddle for hours on end, only to toss and turn on the hard ground each night. If the others felt the same discomfort, none of them complained, not even Tip, who continued to ignore all of Ka's attempts to speak with him. Jiren and Nari also treated her no differently, though Ka did wonder if during her morning training, Jiren's eyes often came to her. But whenever she turned, he was always looking elsewhere, making her think she was only imagining what she wanted to see. Calvin himself was much more cautious with Kea ever since her post-stabbing outburst. But while that meant no one else was wounded, namely Jiren, for the sake of her training, she also had little success with summoning her magic on command, and none at all without first placing her hands on someone. She was increasingly aware of the uneasy concern from her traveling companions, all of whom knew how much was at stake if she couldn't learn to control her power.

A week after leaving Stone Forge, they finally neared the border into Hadras, and Galdrich revealed they were now close enough to Jerva for him to windfunnel them over the forsaken lands and all the way to— Despite Ashlin having been working with the ex-rebel leader every morning, she still hadn't managed to transport herself more than a few feet, so they would be relying solely on Galdrich's magic. Unlike last time, he was confident he wouldn't pass out once they reached their destination, claiming that had never happened to him before, and that the high pressure of fleeing Navik's dungeons, coupled with exhaustion and hunger, and having been beaten by the guards, must have left him weaker than he'd realized. "Why didn't you just use your magic to escape when you were—"

"First locked up?" Tip had asked him one night around the campfire, with Galdrich answering that windfunneling only worked when outside and exposed to the full force of the elements. And besides, his magic couldn't move him through objects or walls, only over them. His response had satisfied everyone except Cresta, who had drawled, "You didn't answer the kid's question. Why didn't you break out of your cell earlier? Like how Ashlin used her power to get you out? You only needed to get outside before whoosh." She circled her fingers. "Freedom on my own."

Galdrich had returned, one eyebrow raised. "We barely made it out when there were three of us, and General Ashlin was at full strength. I stood no chance against the gray guards without help. Wisdom told me to wait and bide my time."

"Wisdom speaks to me, too," Cresta had replied, tossing a stick into the flames. "She's particularly chatty when it comes to you." Galdrich had been unfazed by her pointed remark, and since he'd given no reason for anyone to doubt his motivations, nothing else was said on the matter.

But Kea had lingered on Cresta's attitude toward him, wondering how much of it came from the redhead's years at Zalandov, where trust was a commodity that almost always ended in death, versus how much was just Cresta's naturally prickly personality, trying to stir up dissent among them all. Kea still didn't have an answer after a week of them being in close proximity. So she put it to the back of her mind and instead gave a mental cheer that it was finally time for them to windfunnel to Yurin.

"Everyone gather near," Galdrich called, waving their group toward him. Kea nudged Zephr closer, ignoring his pinned ears. Despite her best efforts, he still detested her. She wouldn't be surprised to discover that he and Jiren were soul bonded. But he'd carried her across two kingdoms, and even if it was one-sided, she'd grown attached to the hateful beast. "I'll win you over," she murmured, petting his neck to try and settle him as he pranced agitatedly beneath her.

"Ka, are you listening?" She looked up at Galdrich's question to find everyone watching her. Flushing, she asked, "Sorry. I was saying this should be smoother than last time since the air currents over the forsaken lands aren't as turbulent as those gusting between Mirven's craggy hills. But it's still going to be unsettling for the horses. Prepare yourself."

Kea was about to suggest they dismount before essentially flying their horses across hundreds of miles at speed, but before she could, Galdrich raised his hands and a rush of wind rammed into them like a solid wall of air. Zephyr snorted, his muscles bunching as if ready to bolt, but Galdrich's magic was faster, thrusting them up into the air. Kea barely stayed in the saddle as the browns and yellows of Karamore blurred into the reds and oranges of northern Hadras and then into the golden sands of Jerva's sundrenched lands.

Like last time, Kea had no sense of how long the journey took, just that it was disconcerting and despite Galdrich's claim that it would be smoother, still unpleasant. When their group finally touched down on the duned outskirts of a large sandstone city, her head was spinning enough that she stood no chance of keeping her seat when Zephyr reared up and threw her from his back. Kea hit the ground so hard that the wind was knocked out of her. She tried to suck in air to move, but she couldn't do either. Not even when Zephyr reared up again, twisting on his hindquarters until he was directly above her. Still recovering from her fall, all Ka could manage was to raise her arms and protect her head, hearing multiple panicked voices yell her name, the loudest of which was Jiren's. He was struggling to settle his own spooked mount, his eyes wide and his hand outstretched as if to magic her to safety. But without his power, nothing happened. And then Zephyr's hooves began to come down. 1,000 lb of horse flesh falling to the earth, ready to crush Kea. She slammed her eyes shut and braced for impact.

But then a gust of wind wrapped around her torso like a giant hand clutching her and sliding her across the hot sand to safety. Kea opened her eyes again and stared in amazement at Jiren, but his fingers were now fisted around his reins, and he was looking away from her, straight at Ashlin. Her heart fell at the expression he couldn't hide fast enough, the disappointment, the self-loathing. It was as if for a moment he'd forgotten what the eye of the gods had taken from him, and was now forced to remember all over again. Kea ached deep inside at seeing such a look on his face before he blinked it away. But at the same time, a small, hope-starved part of her rejoiced that his first instinct was still to save her. She hadn't imagined that, not this time.

"Are you all right?" Ashlin called, using her wind magic to lift Kea up to her feet. "Sorry I didn't act quicker. Spirit nearly threw me, so I didn't see what happened to you until I heard everyone yelling." Kea dusted sand from her leathers and, now able to breathe again, answered, "I'm fine." She took a step, winced, and rubbed her hip. "A little bruised, but I'll survive. Thanks, Ashlin."

"Are you sure?" Terrell asked, dismounting from his skittish horse and looking her over carefully. "You landed hard." Her brother wasn't the only person staring at her in concern, but the worried face that snared Kea's attention the most belonged to Tip. As soon as he realized she'd noticed his alarm, he quickly glanced away. Even so, just like with Jiren's instinctive reaction, Kea's heart felt fuller than it had in a long time.

"I'm fine," she repeated to her brother before repeating it for a third time when Cal asked as well.

"This horse has it in for you," Cresta said, leading Zephyr over by the reins. Kea hobbled forward and remounted before she could yield to fear. "He's just not used to windfunneling," she said, unsure why she was defending the creature who could have killed her moments ago.

"I'm so sorry," Galdrich said, looking distraught. "I've never used my magic on anything but people before, so I didn't anticipate that being so..." "Just give me a chance to dismount first next time," Kea cut him off, growing more embarrassed by the second. She waved toward the city rising up before them. "I take it that's urine?"

"It is," Nari confirmed. Ka looked at her, surprised she'd been the one to answer. But as Ka took in the guard's dark features lined with tension, she belatedly remembered that this wasn't Nari's first visit to Jerva. "I spent most of my life in a kingdom oppressed by corrupt rulers and full of desolate and hateful citizens," the guard had told Ka back at the river palace. Even Captain Varys had shared a tale about Nari's journey to Eve, mentioning how she'd escaped a Jerven arena and crossed the forsaken lands with nothing but the swords on her back. Ka wanted to ask how Nari was handling being back in the kingdom that she'd risked her life to flee from, but the guard shot her a hard look, so she swallowed the words before they could slip out.

Turning her eyes to the city, Ka looked beyond the impressive outer wall to the sandstone buildings within. The architecture was unlike anything she'd encountered before, with golden towers interspersed between behemoth Yellowstone statues of armored men and women throwing spears, raising swords, and drawing bows. Germans were known to the rest of Wenderol as being warriors, but Kea hadn't realized their capital would epitomize that in its appearance. Even with the scorching sun overhead, a shiver traveled down her spine at the fierceness emanating from the city. Her trepidation only intensified when she noticed an elevated area inside the wall right at the center of Urine, upon which sat a palace, and beside it what was unmistakably one of Jerva's famous arenas. Kea glanced at Nari again, concerned, but the guard revealed no hint of what she was feeling.

"What's the plan?" Calvin asked, shielding his eyes from the glare as he took in the city. "Sr may have been friendly with Jerva's ancient rulers, but Ryu and Tmbi aren't known for their hospitality. Are we really just expecting them to hand the ring over?" King Ryu and Kingi were Jerva's brother kings, Kea had learned on their journey. They weren't as close with Eveon as their ancestors had once been, but they also weren't enemies. What that meant for the outcome of their mission, no one knew.

All eyes turned to Galdrich, and he said, "As I've already told you, the rings were only given away for safekeeping. Since you're Sirran's heirs, they have no reason not to return what is rightfully yours." He sounded confident, but when Ka looked around, she could see she wasn't the only one with doubts.

"How far away is the German anomaly settlement?" Edin asked Galdrich. "Perhaps the first words he'd uttered in days." "From what Navic told me." "A few hours' ride, give or take," Galdrich answered. Adren nodded, then said to the group, "I'll meet you at the palace later." To Galdrich, he added, "You're with me."

The ex-rebel leader looked like he wanted to argue, but Ashlin said, "You're the only one who knows how to find the anomalies. Go with Edin. That's an order." Galdrich's face fell, but he murmured his agreement. Ashlin turned to Terrell and Cresta. "You go with them, too." Cresta's eyes slitted. "You just want us out of the way." The princess didn't deny it, and Cresta harumphed in response, but Terrell didn't seem to mind being given a task. Or perhaps it was because the task had been given by Ashlin. Kea had watched the two generals interact over the last week, and despite Ashlin's initial distrust of her brother, something had shifted as Terrell had continued to prove respectful and courteous. They sparred together every morning. They even rode beside each other for most of the day, every day. Sometimes talking and laughing quietly, sometimes enjoying the silence of each other's company. Ka wasn't sure if she was reading into something that wasn't there or whether it was even her business if it was there. Nor did she know if she should warn her brother away from Ashlin or warn Ashlin away from her brother. Despite Calin's one-sided lust for her, Ka had assumed her brother and Rinda had been on a path for something more than friendship. But given the way she sometimes caught Terrell looking at Ashlin, she wasn't certain about anything anymore. Since Kea couldn't even handle her own romantic life, or lack thereof, she knew better than to get involved in anyone else's. Right now she was just grateful that whatever was going on between Terrell and Ashlin meant he followed Edin without debate as the spy nudged his horse away with Cresta and Galdrich trailing much more reluctantly behind them.

Once they were small figures disappearing beyond the sand dunes, Kea and her remaining companions rode straight for the colossal arched entrance into Urine, where beige armored guards demanded that they halt and state their business. Upon learning who they were, and that three Ealonian royals were with them, an escort was provided, leading them all the way up to the palace. By the time they reached their destination, Ka's eyes stung from how bright it was inside the city, with the sun bouncing off everything from the roads to the walls to the rooftops, turning it all gold and yellow and cream. Even the people were dressed in light-colored clothes, though most of them quickly scampered away when they caught sight of the guards. The palace itself was awe-inspiring from up close. A twisted gathering of conical spires bordered by the largest statue warriors Ka had yet seen. Their weapons raised as if in battle. Goosebumps pebbled on her flesh thanks to the nearest one whose hateful eyes gave the illusion of following her.

"Cheery place," Cresta murmured from Kea's side after they'd all dismounted and the royal servants had led their horses away. "You're from Miran," Kea murmured back. "You should be used to this kind of cheery." Cresta's gaze turned inward, sweat glistening on her snake tattoo as she said, "It wasn't always so terrible there."

Kea barely processed her reply because while it had taken a few seconds, she blinked and realized. "What are you doing here?" Ashlin demanded, stealing the words from Kea. "Why aren't you with Edin?" Cresta shrugged. "I snuck away to follow you. This will be much more interesting." She blew an obnoxious kiss at Ashlin, who was now scowling at her, then winked at Calvin when he couldn't hide his snort.

"You might want to reconsider antagonizing the people who can send you back to Zalandov when this is all over," Kea said dryly. Cresta's eyes lit with humor. "They wouldn't dare."

Before Ka could reply with another warning, a group of servants dressed in pristine white tunics ushered them into the palace. Ka felt filthy in comparison, her skin damp from the heat, her hair a straggly mess, and her outfit, once as white as theirs, now covered with travel dust. But she followed the example of her royal companions and held her head high as they walked past giant pillars and through shining arches until they reached a lavish, airy room. The ceiling was high above them, and where normally a wall would have stood, the space led out to a large balcony overlooking the yellow city, straight to the cliffside ocean in the distance. Unnerved by the opulence, Kea followed her friends up the gilded carpet runner, at the end of which was a pair of thrones shaped like scorpions, their stingers curled over and ready to strike. Reclining in the daunting seats were two men with sun-kissed skin, who, like their servants, were wearing white, but their outfits glittered with richly detailed embroidery. Their faces were streaked with gold paint, and both had long black hair pulled back behind crowns made of— Ka swallowed as her group halted before the thrones, instinctively knowing the answer. Bones. The crowns were made of bones.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Nari nudge Tip and Cresta, the three of them dropping into bows. Cresta's was so shallow that it was borderline offensive, and Kea quickly followed suit. Jiren, Ashlin, and Calden remained upright, with Jiren stepping forward to address the kings. "TMBBI Ryu, thank you for welcoming us into your city on such short notice," he said with a respectful nod to the brothers—twins, Kea now realized, seeing that they were identical, though one had a beard and the other was clean-shaven. "It's been far too long since we last saw each other."

"Indeed it has," the bearded twin said, his accent thick, like honey trickling over sand. It was difficult for Kea to determine their ages, but she guessed they were in their early 40s. Their eyes, cunning, and physiques muscled, indicating they didn't just train warriors, but they were warriors. "We have to admit, your visit is a surprise, given the rumors that a new queen now rules your kingdom."

Jiren didn't so much as blink. "You should know better than to listen to rumors," he said smoothly. "My father recently passed into the Everworld, but my mother remains at the river palace, with my sister merely assisting with her queenly duties during this time of mourning." Nothing he said was a lie, and yet Ka marveled at his ability to spin the truth, though his jaw did clench slightly when he mentioned Mirin. Royal politics were beyond Ka, but even she recognized the danger of giving the German king's confirmation of the volatile situation in Avalon.

"That is a relief," the clean-shaven king said, his voice quieted as he added, "Though Ryu and I are very sorry to hear about Stellin; he was a good man." Jiren concealed the depth of his grief and only said he was. Kea hadn't heard him speak about his father at all since Ken had told her the news. She desperately wanted to reach for his hand. But even if they hadn't been standing before foreign warrior kings, she knew he wouldn't be receptive to her compassion or to her touch.

"Please forgive our intrusion," Ashlin said, stepping up beside Jiren. "We would have sent a messenger, but since we were already en route, and don't intend to stay long, it was quicker to arrive unannounced." Ryu brushed aside her words. "Jerva has always been a friend to Eve. What brings you to our golden city?" His gaze flicked beyond the Valentas royals to where Nari, Cresta, Tip, and Kea stood. "And who are your friends?"

Ashlin offered vague introductions, with Tip giving a merry wave when his name was shared and Nari ducking her head and keeping her eyes firmly on the carpet. Kea doubted the kings had cared about one escaped teenager back when Nari had fled, but she understood the guard's desire to avoid their notice.

When Ashlin was done, Jiren took over again, explaining how Sar had entrusted a ring to the Brother King's ancestors. He didn't say how important it was or what it did when combined with the others, just that he desired to have it returned to his family's possession. Kea watched the kings carefully to see if they already knew the true value of the ring, but their expressions might as well have been carved from granite.

Once Jiren was finished, the twins shared a quick glance, and then TMBI snapped his fingers at the nearest group of waiting servants and spoke to them in rapid German. Kea sidled Nari for a translation, but TMBBI explained in the common tongue. "Refreshments are on the way."

"That's very kind," Jiren said. "But as Ashlin mentioned, we don't intend to linger. I'm sure you can appreciate, I'd rather not be apart from my mother for longer than necessary during this difficult time. So, we need to return to Eveon as quickly as possible." Now, Jiren was lying, but Kea schooled her features, praying the others, especially Tip and Cresta, were doing the same.

"You must at least have something to drink," Ryu said, signaling to a pair of promptly returned servants who hurried over on command. In their hands were trays bearing gold chalices, which they quickly gave to Kea and her companions. "You're surely parched from your travels."

Kea waited until Jiren, Ashlin, and Kelvin sipped their own drinks before she tasted hers. The fruity offering was unfamiliar, but it was cool and refreshing and brought almost instant relief from the heat. "Yijapilli," Tambi said, catching Ka sniffing the pink-colored liquid. "It's a stone fruit native to our kingdom, one that flourishes in the desert, even during summer when so many others wither and die." He seemed to be waiting for a response from her. So, after receiving a barely discernible nod from Ashlin, she said, "It's delicious. Thank you, your majesty."

Seemingly satisfied, the German king looked at his brother before they both turned their attention back to the Valentis royals. "We know of Sarana's ring," Ryu said without preamble. "And Kea felt relief wash over her, so powerful that it left her dizzy. Galdrich had been confident it was here, but he could have been mistaken, or the ring could have been lost in the hundreds of years since the ancient Valentis queen had bestowed it upon her German friends. You are correct in your assertion that it does belong to you," Ryu went on. "And that it has been passed down from our ancestors with the understanding that one day someone from your bloodline would come to retrieve it."

"Wonderful," Calvin said, stepping forward. "If you'll just hand it over." He stumbled. It was only a small trip of his feet, but Calvin never stumbled. He managed to keep his legs under him, but he still looked down in confusion, shaking his head as if to clear it.

"What you don't seem to be aware of," Tempi said, straightening his bone crown, "is that instructions were handed down with the ring?"

"Instructions?" Jiren repeated, his eyes narrowing. There was something wrong with his voice, Kea thought. She rubbed her ears, unsure if it was her hearing or if he really had slurred the word.

"We can't just give it to you," Ryu's lips curled into a smirk. "You first have to prove yourselves worthy of it. You have to earn it."

"What does that mean?" Ashlin demanded, pressing a hand to her head and swaying slightly. Nari, however, had become as still as a statue, her face turning ashen.

Before Kea could ask what was wrong, movement caught her eye, prompting her to gasp at the impossible sight of the scorpion thrones coming to life, their stingers shifting in the air as if preparing to attack. She jerked backwards, her heart slamming against her rib cage. No one else seemed to notice, so she opened her mouth to shout a warning, but then she blinked, and the thrones were lifeless once more. Realization crashed over Kea, ice flooding her as she peered into her golden chalice. Calin's stumble, Jiren's slurring, Ashlin's swaying, her own hallucinating. Ignoring royal etiquette, Kea speared her now blurry gaze toward the kings and rasped out, "You drugged us!"

As soon as she said the words, Tip crumpled to the ground, unconscious. Kea lunged for him, but her own knees gave out and she collapsed beside him. She was suddenly so tired that she had trouble keeping her eyes open, barely able to watch as Ashlin, Jiren, Calvin, and Ca all toppled one after the other. Nari, the only one of them who hadn't drunk anything, drew her blades, but beige-clad guards poured into the throne room before she could make a single move.

"Dukar," Ryu said pleasantly, his words sounding far away. "It'll wear off in time for your arzavar. We'll even make sure you..." He continued speaking, but Ka's body fully surrendered to the drug, and she heard no more.

Chapter 16.

"Wake up. God damn it." At the sudden pain in her cheek, Ka's eyes shot open to find Cresta crouching beside her. The redhead's arm raised as if preparing to slap her again. Ka touched her stinging face and demanded, "What?" A roaring sound cut her off, and she squinted past Cresta through the painfully bright glare, dread filling her at what she saw.

"Get up! Get up!" Ca urged, hauling Ka to her feet. But Ka didn't need the encouragement. She was already scrambling upright. She pushed past her dizziness, her mind desperately trying to make sense of where she was, and more alarmingly, why? Because she was standing in the middle of an arena. The roar she heard was the crowd, thousands of people crammed together on raised platforms around the edge of the open-air B-shaped space with ferocious warrior statues rising high to watch over everything, their backs straight and arms crossed as if in judgment. Nerves prickled Ka's skin at the daunting sight, but then her attention moved to the center of the arena where she stood, and her trepidation only grew. The ground was divided into three parts: an inner ring that was filled with water, the middle ring where she'd awoken having sand underfoot. And Kea gasped as flames arose from the earth, filling the outer ring like a fiery barrier, preventing any escape. She was trapped. They were trapped. Because it wasn't just her and Cresta in the arena. Ashlin and Nari were there as well, both having just regained consciousness and were now hurrying over, their faces tight. Nari's especially.

"What the hell is this?" Cresta demanded once the princess and the guard had reached them. The amplified voice of King Tempi spoke before anyone could answer, echoing around the arena and quieting the crowd. The German words meant nothing to Ka, but she searched for the speaker, finding him on a private elevated deis, halfway up one side of the crammed arena. He was seated beside his brother, both on new scorpion thrones, glinting in the sunlight, and at their sides were— Kea took an automatic step forward at the side of Jiren, Calden, and Tip, all tied to solid vertical posts, their arms bound over their heads, their feet barely touching the ground. They were too far away for her to make out their expressions, but she had no trouble imagining their distress. Before she could move any further, Nari's fingers curled around her elbow, halting her progress. There was a warning look on the guard's face. Warning and fear.

TBI kept speaking in his native tongue, so Kea asked, "What's he saying?" It was Ashlin who answered. "He's welcoming the audience, telling them we're visitors who wish to prove our worth by undertaking the Ozavar. 'We can't just give it to you,' King Ryu had said about Serrano's ring. 'You have to earn it.'" A sick feeling began to bubble in Ka's stomach.

"What's the ars of?" "He's also saying our companions will be put to death if we fail," Cresta said. She cocked an eyebrow at Ashlin. "You left that part out." The princess's jaw ticked. "I saw no reason to panic her. And since when do you speak German?" Cresta shrugged. "There are plenty of Germans in Zalandov. You can learn a lot in 5 years. I also know some Hadrerson and all the swears in Odin, plus some..."

"Excuse me," Ka hissed, not caring how Cresta had become multilingual. "But can you go back to the part about them killing?"

"It's an empty threat intended to excite the crowd," Ashlin quickly assured Kea. "They wouldn't dare hurt..."

"They would," the two words said low and serious came from Nari. She then looked straight at Kea and said, "Whatever happens next, you absolutely must not use your power in here. The kings covet magic, especially in their warriors. But like most people, they believe anomalies are rare, and they've certainly never seen healing magic before. If they learn what you can do, they'll never allow you to leave Yurin. Do you understand?" Kea swallowed and swiftly nodded. She didn't question why. After a week of Nari ignoring her, the guard was now worried about what might happen to her. Instead, she repeated, her voice thick with dread, "What's the ars of?"

TMBI stopped speaking, but then Ryu started his words, prompting the crowd to shout and clap and stomp their feet. Hurriedly, Nari shared, "Women in Jerva are considered special kinds of warriors, often more lethal than the men. At 10 years of age, every girl across the kingdom is presented to the Rockavan, the elite guard, and those who show promise are invited to attend their nearest arena for training. Almost all of them accept since it's a great honor to be selected, the greatest honor a family can claim. The girls with the most potential are then brought here to the capital. Once they turn 15, their training ends, and they're made to fight each other for glory and riches and for the crowd's entertainment." Her amber eyes scanned from the water ring all the way across to the fire barrier, then up to the screaming audience before she finally revealed, "Arzavar translates to warrior trial. It's what those women must undergo if they wish to advance beyond arena battles and become full-fledged Rockavan. It's how they prove their worth. And it's apparently how we'll be proving ours."

A choked sound left Ka. "Warrior trial. But we're not..." Something King Ryu said caused both Nari and Ashlin to reach for their weapons. The princess handed one of her swords to Cresta, and Nari pulled a long dagger from her belt and shoved it toward Ka. She didn't take it. Nari moved closer. "Our opponents will be desperate. They're one battle away from everything they've spent years working toward. And once they nominate themselves for the trial, they only get one chance to claim victory." Her features were hard as she declared, "The Arzavar is a fight to the death, Ka. Kill or be killed. Those are our only options."

Ka's mouth dropped open. But Nari wasn't finished. "If you want to save Jiren, Ken, and Tip, if you want any of us to leave this place, then you need to survive. We need to survive." This time when Nari held out the dagger, Kea closed her numb fingers around the hilt. "I can't use this," she breathed, staring at the deadly blade. "Not just because I don't know how, but I'm a healer. I can't hurt."

"Just stay close to us," Ashlin said, shifting nearer. "We won't let anyone get to you." Neither Nari nor Cresta showed the same level of confidence, their faces grim. "Remember what I said about your magic," Nari warned again. "No matter what, you can't."

"Friends from Eveon." King Ryu's voice interrupted her, echoing loudly down to them in the common tongue. "In order to claim what you seek, you must first be proclaimed victors of the Arzava. Behold your opponents." A near deafening roar came from the crowd when the flaming barrier parted, revealing six women who stepped into the middle ring, the fire returning once they were through. They each had different skin tones, too tanned, too pale, too dark. But all were dressed in supple body armor, their leather skirts and breastplates glinting with silver plating, their shins protected by shining greaves, their wrists strapped with metallic braces. Six against four, Ka realized, the dagger trembling in her hand.

"Your male companions have been warned not to interfere using their magic or you'll be instantly disqualified," King Ryu went on, and Ka had a feeling he didn't just mean they wouldn't be given Sar's ring. The words "fight to the death" still ringing in her ears. "However, no such restrictions are upon you or your opponents." One of the warrior women grinned widely, revealing a mouth full of jagged teeth. At the flick of her pale finger, wind slammed into Kea, Cresta, Ashlin, and Nari. Not even Ashlin could react in time to stop the magic from sending them flying.

"Now, now," Ryu tisked as the audience went wild. "We haven't started playing yet." Kea clambered back to her feet, amazed that none of her friends had stabbed themselves when they'd landed hard on the ground.

"She's mine!" Ashlin growled, her eyes slitted toward the still grinning warrior. Kea repressed a hysterical laugh since obviously Ashlin should face the anomaly, being the only one of them with elemental magic. But then a woman with flaming ginger hair smirked and summoned fire into her palm, revealing there to be two anomalies among them. Cresta had warned that the kings valued magical warriors, but this— "Damn it," Ashlin hissed. "I'll have to take her, too."

Kea's heart had been pounding before, but now it was like a hammer in her chest. "If either of you have been hiding magic," she said to Cresta and Nari, "now's the time to say so." The look on Nari's face said that only one person among them had been keeping such a secret, and that person was Kea herself. Ca too rolled her eyes and stated, "You think I would have stayed so long at Zalandov if I could have magicked my way out of there? Only your prince was stupid enough to do something like that."

Before Kea could reply, King TBI took over for his twin and said, "The rules of the Arzava are simple. There are none." The crowd roared again, louder than ever. And then he declared, "May the best warriors win. Gant." Kea didn't need to know Jerven to realize that he just yelled the equivalent of "attack" because the six warriors sprinted toward them. Their swords and spears and shields raised. The air anomaly thrust out her hand as she ran, attempting another attack. But Ashlin was ready this time and countered the move with a slash of her arm, causing the sand between them to erupt in a blinding flurry. The ginger-haired woman similarly tried to send a burst of fire their way, but Ashlin choked the air from the flames, snuffing them out before they could cause any damage. For a moment, Kea felt a glimmer of hope. The German anomalies had never battled a Valentis before, a Valentis general. It might be two against one, but Ashlin had a bloodline's worth of experience and power in her favor. Plus, she alone wielded two elements, which she quickly put to use, cracking open the earth and forcing the six warriors to change their trajectory by leaping to the side, giving Ka and her friends an extra moment to prepare.

But then the two anomalies glanced at each other, sharing an invisible signal before launching simultaneous attacks directly toward Ashlin alone, stealing her focus and allowing the four other warrior women the chance to approach. Nari and Cresta didn't hesitate, rushing forward to meet their opponents with weapons raised, while Ashlin sent darts of wind and twisting vines toward her two magical foes, only to have them blocked and burned.

"Do something!" screamed Kea's inner voice. "Help them!" But she was frozen in place, fearing she would only get in the way and cause one of her friends to become hurt. Frantic, her gaze swung from Ashlin and her elemental battle to Cresta and Nari as they met the four warriors strike for strike. The crash of steel ringing around the arena. It wasn't just swords they were defending against. A broad-shouldered woman fought with a fearsome spear that was a cross between a sickle and a scythe, while her freckled companion had a metal chain in one hand and a spiked mace in the other. Only the final two women, one of whom had gold threaded into her armor and the other wore a horned helmet, used weapons more evenly matched against Kea's friends. But they fought with enough ferocity that even Nari, who had undergone the same warrior training as them, was struggling to maintain her defense. and Cresta.

As Kea watched, Cresta lost patience with the broad-shouldered, spear-wielding woman and gave a war cry before bending at the waist and ramming straight into her midsection, tackling her to the ground. Their weapons dropped in the fall, leaving the two of them to wrestle unarmed, neither gaining a foothold. But Ka wasn't worried about the scrappy ex-squarer. She was concerned because it now meant Nari had three warriors all focused on her. For too long, people had been saving Ka. She'd only survived the trial by ordeal because Jiren had protected her. More recently at Zalandov, Cresta had looked out for her. Even at Black Mount Castle, Ashlin had helped free her. Nari, Calvin, Terrell, all of them had saved her from one danger or another. She'd always had to rely on them, but no more. She might have no fighting experience and limited physical training, but right now, her friends needed her. Nari needed her.

Terrified, but determined, Kea tightened her grip on her dagger and sprinted forward to where Nari was battling the three women. As she ran, she saw the helmeted warrior fumble her footing, opening up her vulnerable side. Nari took immediate advantage, thrusting her blade in a quick jabbing motion once, twice, three times, and the woman went down with a pained scream, which quickly tapered off into silence as she stilled on the ground. Ka's heart clenched as the warrior's eyes closed, Nari's words repeating in her mind once more. "Kill or be killed. Those are our only options."

Later, Ka would have time to process the senseless violence happening in the arena. For now, she had to remain alive long enough to do so and make sure her friends did, too. Because Cresta still wrestled with the broad-shouldered woman, grunting and groaning as they each landed hits, while Ashlin continued to defend against fire and wind in her elemental battle. and Nari still faced both the mace and chain-wielding woman and the one with the gold-threaded armor. It was the latter whom Ka targeted, racing to block the golden warrior from striking out at Nari's unprotected back. Fueled purely by desperation, she leapt the remaining distance just as the woman pivoted, her crystal blue eyes gleeful as she raised her sword to meet Ka. In turn, Ka stretched her dagger out as she soared through the air, ready to meet the woman's blade.

But then, suddenly, Ka wasn't leaping toward the golden warrior anymore because a gust of wind caught her mid-flight and flung her away, right into the inner water circle. Kea plunged beneath the surface, stunned. At first, she thought Ashlin must have been trying to keep her safe, but that notion soon vanished when she kicked her way upward, only for another gust of wind to shove her straight back down again. Fear coursed through her as she broke through the surface again and again, barely able to inhale enough air each time before she was pushed under once more. During one of her attempts, the briefest of glances across the sand revealed Ashlin was oblivious to her plight, fully distracted by the ginger-haired anomaly who had transformed the fiery outer ring into a giant flaming python. It was taking all of Ashlin's focus to keep from being burned alive, with her using both wind and earth magic to try and smother the serpentine inferno. All the while, the air anomaly was grinning her jagged-tooth smile in Ka's direction, keeping her in her underwater prison.

But then it became clear that the elemental warrior had been toying with her. And now she was done. Because when Ka was next forced under, a solid air barrier kept her from resurfacing at all. Within seconds, Kea's lungs began to burn, prompting memories of the water ordeal. And when Queen Ariana had attacked her at the river palace, she'd nearly drowned in both instances, just as she was drowning now. "Not like this," Kea begged as she punched her hands into the invisible barrier. Somehow, she still had the dagger gripped between her fingers, but it did no good against the anomaly's magic. Pain spread down her throat and across her chest, her heart galloping as her restricted airways convulsed. She needed air. She needed air. But she was surrounded by water with no escape.

Jiren's face came to her then. Jiren who had dived deep into the quarry and breathed life back into her. Jiren, who had fought off his own mother to protect her and then held her all night afterward. This time, Jiren couldn't help her. Kea didn't even know whether he would if given the choice. But no, that wasn't true because despite all the heartache she'd caused him, it wasn't in his nature to let anyone suffer, including her. Maybe even especially her. He would always save her. She knew that like she knew her own name. And the thought of never seeing him again, of surrendering her life to this miserable German arena and dying before she had a chance to make things right between them was too much for her to bear. Her lungs were screaming for oxygen now, her vision blackening at the edges. But Ka mustered the last of her strength and propelled her body upward, smashing her daggered hand into the air barrier, only to find it was no longer there. She broke through the surface, coughing and gagging, meeting no resistance as she swam laboriously to the edge and hauled herself onto the sand. There she spat out water and sucked in painful, choked breaths, acutely aware that her friends were still fighting for their lives.

Because of that, she only allowed herself 5 seconds to recover before standing shakily to her feet. A quick glance revealed Cresta had overcome the broad-shouldered warrior, who was now lifeless on the ground, leaving the ex-warrior to partner with Ashlin against the fire and air anomalies, explaining why Kea had suddenly become free. Ca had no magic, but she was fearlessly using her blades against the warriors, even throwing some wicked star-shaped knives she must have pilfered from her fallen opponent. Together, she and Ashlin were taking ground, even with the python having been transformed into a flaming whirlwind fueled by both anomalies combining their magic. Nari, however, was beginning to struggle against the freckled chain-wielding woman and the golden warrior, both of whom were relentlessly brutal in their attacks, their weapons like blurs. The guard was bleeding from multiple wounds, some alarmingly deep, and it was clear that her strength was failing.

For the second time, Ka set aside her fear and lunged forward, water and sand flying off her as she sprinted toward her friend. But no matter how fast she ran, she was still a few strides away when the freckled warrior managed to wrap her chain around Nari's boot, giving it a vicious tug. While at the same time, her mace came down in an overhead swing. Kea's heart stopped as Nari stumbled and barely managed to raise her arm in time, her prosthetic hand taking the brunt of the spiked weapon's attack. Another tug of the chain, and unbalanced, she was forced down to her knees, leaving her in a dangerous position. One that, while her sole focus was on protecting herself from the freckled woman's follow-up blow, meant she was wide open for the golden warrior to slash her sword straight toward her unguarded back. It was a lethal strike, but it never made contact because Kea arrived just in time to intercept the attack, blocking the woman's blade. Acting on instinct, she thrust her dagger upward, intending to force the warrior back in order to give Nari a chance to regain her feet and take over again. But the golden warrior misinterpreted Ka's move and dashed forward rather than away, twisting to the wrong side and causing the upward trajectory of Ka's dagger to plunge straight into her chest. The warrior's crystal blue eyes widened with shock, mirroring Ka's own horrified gaze. The two of them looking slowly down together to see the blade protruding from her torso. Time stopped, and then the woman was falling, her blood spilling onto the sand to pool beneath where her body came to rest.

A choked sound left Ka as she gaped down at the golden warrior, her now blank eyes staring into nothing. Kea was no stranger to death, whether from illness, injury, or undue violence. She'd witnessed far more than her share of people fading into the Everworld, especially during her time at Zalandov. But causing someone's death? Kea had never killed anyone before. Slick, warm blood covered her hands. They weren't trembling now. They were frozen. She was frozen. Peripherally, she was aware of the roaring crowd. Of Nari still fighting the freckled woman, of Ashlin and Cresta pushing forward in their magical battle with the wind anomaly downed and only the ginger-haired anomaly and her flames remaining. But try as she might, Ka couldn't take her eyes off the blood-soaked sand and the warrior with a dagger buried in her chest. Ka's dagger.

Everything that happened next was a blur. Nari finally dispatched her opponent and hurried over with dread in her eyes before she patted Kea down and realized the blood didn't belong to her. Shock. Kea realized she was in shock. Nari soon figured out the same and gave Ka a rough shake that did little good. But then Cresta was there, with her and Ashlin having succeeded against the fire anomaly, their final opponent. The ex-warrior didn't hesitate to repeat her action from earlier and slapped Kea across the face. "Snap out of it," she ordered. "You've seen worse than this a thousand times over." Ka had, but she'd never been responsible for it.

"Cresta," Ashlin barked when the ex-warrior raised her hand to slap Ka again. "Leave her." Nari was standing close enough that Ka could hear her labored breaths. She was also swaying slightly, and that was what finally pulled Ka's gaze away from the golden warrior. Seeing all the wounds Nari had sustained, Ka unconsciously reached out to heal her. But the guard saw what she intended and scrambled backwards. For one second, Ka was blinded by hurt. She just killed someone to save Nari, and still the guard hated her enough to reject her touch. But then Kea pushed through the haze of her shock and remembered Nari's warning that if the kings witnessed her magic, they'd never allow her to leave. Quickly, Ka fisted her hands, burying the power she'd instinctively begun to summon. Nari would have to wait to be healed, as would Ashlin and Cresta, both of whom were covered in burns and minor lacerations along with raw grazes from wind-whipped sand. They were hurt, but alive. All of them.

Kea didn't let her eyes drop to the ground where the six warrior women lay. "Kill or be killed," Nari had said. They'd done what was needed to survive. But even so, Kea couldn't ignore the guilt she felt. Nor could she forget the stunned look of horror on the golden warrior's face as the life had drained from her. Bile burned the back of Kea's throat. But she swallowed it down, knowing she couldn't reveal what she was feeling. Not here with thousands of people watching. She had to remain strong just for a few more minutes. And then, when she was alone, she could let the floodgates open.

On the deis, the kings stood from their thrones and raised their hands in the air, quieting the screaming crowd. "Dukar, dukar," Tami declared in his native language. "Azavar du eveon." Another roar from the audience before the king spoke in the common tongue directly to Kea, Ashlin, Cresta, and Nari. "Congratulations to our Ebalonian friends for triumphing over the Arzava. You have proved your worth as warriors. Now come and receive your reward."

At his words, the fire ring, no longer a flaming python, extinguished, leaving behind scorched earth and a clear pathway out of the arena. Two groups of beige-armored guards appeared. One set heading toward Ka and her friends, the rest bearing canvas stretchers to carry away the fallen. Kea didn't watch the second group, especially the pair of guards who approached the golden warrior. She just kept her eyes on her feet and followed her friends as they were led from the arena.

Given TMBB's invitation, Ka had assumed they would be delivered straight to the raised deis, but the guards didn't head into the stands. The screams of the crowd faded as they stepped through a narrow, shaded walkway, dissecting the arena walls, and then exited out into the blistering sunshine once more. After that, it was only a short stroll across to the palace, where they were taken to what was apparently to be their guest quarters for the rest of their stay. Kea's gaze had remained lowered for the duration of their walk, the change of location passing in a blur. A numb feeling had enveloped her somewhere between the arena and the palace as she'd tried and failed to justify what had happened, what she'd done. But then all the guards except one backed out the door, and Ka finally looked up, her dazed vision noting that she stood in a bright, circular room with large white cushions dotting the floor in front of a fireplace along with a balcony looking not out at the arena, thankfully, but toward the opposite side of the city.

"Their majesties have declared that there will be a feast tonight in your honor," the remaining guard said.

The guard said, lingering in the doorway. His accent was so thick that it took Ka a moment to comprehend his words. And once she did, she looked desperately toward Ashlin. The princess's frustrated expression told Ka that they wouldn't just be able to take the ring and be on their way. They would have to play the courteous political game first.

"Bathe and rest, and an escort shall return to deliver you to the banquet hall," the guard continued. "You'll find evening attire in your rooms." He pointed to the closed door that Kea had missed in her quick perusal of the suite. Only one was a jar, revealing the edge of a ginormous bathtub in the corner.

With nothing else to say, the guard stepped back through the door and paused on the other side, holding it open. Kea wondered if he planned to stand century until the feast, but then she heard quick footsteps just before Jiren, Calvin, and Tip appeared. Only after they were through the door did the guard close it, leaving them to their privacy.

For a moment, no one said anything as they all stared at each other. Kea was more aware than ever of her still damp hair and clothes, but especially of the now dried blood staining her hands. Jiren, Calvin, and Tip had seen everything. They'd watched six women die. They'd witnessed Kea slaying one of those women herself. She couldn't bear to look at them, her shame and guilt causing her stomach to royal and her eyes to burn.

But then she heard a sob and she glanced up to see Tip running toward her, tears streaking his cheeks. Kea's mind blanked when his small body collided with hers, the force of it sending her backwards a step. She stood there stunned as he wrapped his arms around her and burrowed his face into her chest.

"You you you nearly died," he wailed, his voice muffled by her leathery armor. "You You nearly left me."

"Tip," Kea whispered, emotion clogging her throat. She returned his embrace hesitantly, fearing he would suddenly remember that he wasn't speaking to her and push her away. But he didn't. If anything, his grip tightened.

"I'm sorry," he cried, tilting his tear stained face back to look at her through watery blue eyes. "I'm so sorry. Jiren said I should forgive you that you didn't have a choice and you only lied to protect me. But I was just so mad and you nearly drowned thinking I hate you. I don't I don't hate you, Kea. I couldn't never hate you. I love you. Please believe me." He burrowed his face again as his sobbing intensified as much as his declaration made Ka want to cry right along with him.

And as much as she wanted to comfort him, she was too shocked by what he'd just revealed. Her disbelieving gaze shot toward Jiren, only to find him staring hard into the empty fireplace. Calvin, however, was striding toward his sister, his face pale, but his expression determined. As Kea watched, he opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again, and then shook his head at himself before reaching out and pulling Ashlin into his arms. The stoic princess turned as still as a statue, and then promptly burst into tears.

"I'm so sorry, Ashy," Calvin said quietly. "It was always too painful the thought of seeing you. It always made me think of them. And it was so much easier to act like they and you never existed. But watching you today, realizing I could have lost you, too. I made a mistake in staying away. It was selfish, and I know I hurt you. Can you forgive me?"

Ashlin only cried harder, but she nodded into her brother's chest. "Of course I can, you big stupid oaf," she blubbered before leaning back and punching him in the shoulder hard. Calvin grunted and rubbed his arm, glaring at her. "What was that for?"

"You deserved it!" Ashlin stated, her silvery eyes still wet with tears, her cheeks red and puffy. But there was a lightness to her expression that hadn't been there before. a weight now lifted from her shoulders. Despite her words, the princess smiled brightly at her brother and finished. "You actually deserve a lot more, but I'm feeling generous."

Calon's glare deepened. "I'm going to regret apologizing to you, aren't I?"

"Too late now," Ashlin said, wiping her face and grinning wider. In this moment, even wearing her bloodied armor, she didn't look anything like a fierce general, she was nothing more than an older sister teasing her younger brother.

"As adorable as this is," Cresta interjected, not even trying to hide her disgusted expression. "Would someone like to explain what happened after we left the arena? Did the kings hand over the ring?"

"They're presenting it to us at the feast," Calvin answered, wrinkling his nose as he saw the battle mess his sister had transferred onto his own darker clothes.

Presa's eyebrows arched upward. "You believe them?"

"They're honorbound by Jerven law to reward us for completing the Arzavar," Nari said, pressing a hand to her side where fresh blood was still flowing. "They have to give." She didn't finish before her knees gave out, a pain sound leaving her as she collapsed onto a white cushion.

Kea and Jiren both lunged forward and reached her at the same time with him watching anxiously as Kea examined the worst of Nari's wounds. Her hands trembled at the sight of dried blood on her own flesh, but she took a deep breath and repressed everything she was feeling until they stilled again. Jiren's proximity made it hard for Kea to concentrate when all she wanted was to lean into him and ask why he'd encouraged Tip to forgive her, but she made herself focus, especially when she realized how deep Nar's injury was.

"God," Jarn muttered, seeing the same. "Is that bone?"

"Ca asked, peering over their shoulders. "Ew." Calvin swiftly wrapped an arm around her torso and dragged her to the far side of the room.

"Is she going to be all right?" Tip asked, kneeling on Kea's other side. He looked at her and said, "You can he heal her? Can't you you?"

The numbness she'd felt since leaving the arena evaporated, replaced by warmth that only grew as the young boy continued looking at her with such trust, such hope. Seeing that, Ka's magic rose to the surface effortlessly. It felt as natural as breathing, with it flowing out of her in a glorious golden light, stitching together not just Nari's largest wound, but all those she'd sustained in the battle. And not only her, a gasp came from Ashlin and a surprised oath from Cresta as the glow of Kea's magic spread outward from Nari, flooding the room. She glanced up to see both of them staring at their previously burned and grazed flesh in wonder.

"Did you mean to do that? Heal everyone at once." The quiet question came from Jiren and Kea turned to him, finding him close enough to take her breath away.

"No," she answered, hoping he didn't notice how husky her voice was. "But it was easier than it's ever been. I didn't even have to think about it. It just happened."

A knock on the door kept him and anyone else from responding, and they all jumped quickly to their feet. Ka's pulse sped up at the thought of someone having seen the unnatural flare of light. But with the bright sunshine outside, even a brief burst from the balcony should have gone unnoticed. Her shoulders slumped with relief when two whiteclad servants entered the room bearing a tray of fruits and cheeses and an urn full of liquid. They spoke rapidly in their native tongue before bowing and leaving again.

"Refreshments to tide us over until dinner," Jiren translated. They all eyed the offering wearily given what had happened the last time they'd accepted the so-called Jerven hospitality.

"Pass," Cresta said, glaring at the food. Nari, however, walked straight over to the urn and poured herself a drink. Since she was the only one who had refused the Echipelli juice earlier, everyone looked at her with surprise.

"They only drugged us to get us into the arena," she said after downing half the liquid. "We've already earned what we came for. They have no reason to cause us further harm, and their own laws forbid it." She tipped back the rest of her drink and then refilled it. "It's safe. All of it."

That was all Tip needed to hear before he bound it over and began stuffing his mouth. while the others followed more slowly. Watching them, a wave of exhaustion hit Ka, a delayed response to the magic she'd just used, or from everything else she'd endured that day. Rather than join her friends, she slipped through the nearest door and entered the bedroom beyond. Like the common room, it was bright and luxurious, with afternoon sunshine streaming in through curtains, which she quickly closed, plunging the space into darkness. Only then did she sink onto the heavily cushioned bed and curl into a ball, wishing she could remember the feeling of Tip's arms around her, but instead only recalling the life leaving the golden warrior's eyes.