“What are you doing here?” the princess breathed. Her blue eyes flicked to the windows and widened when she saw what was happening on the grounds. “What’s —”
“Where’s the Royal Signet?” Kiva interrupted.
“I — what?” Mirryn’s face was pale as her gaze snapped back to Kiva. Something came over her then, and she lurched forward to grab Kiva’s hands, saying with urgency, “I tried to stop her, I swear I did. I made a mistake — the worst mistake I’ve ever made. But when I tried to fix it — when we tried to fix it” — her eyes filled with tears as she glanced toward her mother and brother — “Zuleeka was ready, and she attacked us before we could use our magic on her. I tried — we tried —” She released a broken sob. “Please, Kiva, you have to believe me. I made a m-mistake.” Another sob left her, tears now trickling down her face as she whispered, “Navok p-promised I could be with Serafine. He lied. Everything I did, everyone I h-hurt, was for nothing.”
Kiva didn’t know how to feel about the princess’s heartache — or about her seemingly genuine remorse. A part of her couldn’t help softening toward Mirryn, especially because of her own terrible mistakes and the guilt she’d carried for so long. But Kiva was also aware that now wasn’t the time for them to be discussing this.
Prying her hands from Mirryn’s fierce grip, Kiva looked from her to where Ariana and Oriel were still standing together, both visibly shell-shocked, before saying, “We can talk about that later, but right now, Navok is here. The palace is under attack.” She gestured toward the windows and the battle raging on the grounds, the fires having spread, the earth more cracked and flooded than ever, with armored bodies warring — and many lying still. “I don’t have time to explain why,” Kiva went on, “but I need to know where the Royal Signet is.”
“I have it,” Ariana said instantly. She didn’t ask questions, not even to confirm whose side Kiva was on, indicating Mirryn or Zuleeka must have already shared where Kiva’s loyalties lay. Instead, all the queen did was hold up her hand, revealing the ring sitting on her finger.
Kiva’s knees nearly buckled. In that moment, she realized Mirryn’s remorse hadn’t been an act — if she’d given the Signet back to her mother, then that meant Zuleeka no longer had possession of the whole Royal Ternary, nullifying the clause that allowed her to keep the throne.
But considering everything, Kiva doubted anyone cared about the ancient law anymore.
Shaking off her thoughts, she moved straight to Ariana, pulling the other three rings out of the leather pouch until they tumbled onto her palm. The queen’s sapphire eyes widened, the shock, the awareness telling Kiva that Ariana knew exactly what they were — and what they could do.
But before either could demand an explanation from the other, Galdric strode through the doors to the queen’s chamber, his eyes shifting from Kiva’s palm to the queen, whose hand was still in the air, the four rings visible for all to see.
His weathered features stretched into a grin. “Looks like I arrived just in time.”
Kiva gaped at him, failing to grasp how he could be there. He was meant to be resting near Oakhollow — or at the very least, slowly making his way to the city. Perhaps stashed away in whatever safe place Caldon found if they’d made good enough time. Anywhere but walking into the queen’s chambers, as if he’d known exactly where Kiva was. But she didn’t get a chance to ask how any of that was possible, because more people stepped through the doors, at least a dozen, all in gray leathers, none of them bearing physical weapons.
Anomalies.
And behind them was King Navok, sauntering into the room to stand beside Galdric, a satisfied smirk on his handsome face.
But Kiva didn’t care about Navok.
She didn’t even care that he and Galdric were smiling at each other, not as a king and his once-prisoner, but in a way that told her they weren’t enemies at all — and perhaps never had been.
Instead, the only thing Kiva cared about was Tipp.
Because Navok was holding the young boy close —
With a dagger pressed to his throat.
“Tipp!” Oriel cried, dropping Flox and lunging toward his friend, but Ariana hauled him back, right as Navok’s anomalies came on alert.
“Uh-uh-uh,” the king tutted to all three Vallentis royals, tightening his grip on Tipp. “My personal guards are trained to kill without hesitating. You so much as try to summon your magic, and they’ll take you down without a thought.”
A quick glance, and Kiva knew Navok wasn’t lying — these anomalies were different from those outside. Their motives were unclear, their intentions dark and deadly. She knew that, because Xuru was among them, the fire wielder looking at her with anticipation in his black eyes.
Kiva’s pulse began to pound in her ears as she turned back to Tipp, taking in his red, puffy face, and the tears streaming down his cheeks. It wasn’t fear in his expression — it was something much worse.
Devastation.
Anguish.
Grief.
Seeing all that, Kiva’s blood turned cold. Because she knew — she knew — there was only one reason for him to be looking at her like that. She held his eyes and croaked out, “Where’s Caldon?”
Fresh tears fell as Tipp opened his mouth and uttered two quiet, broken words:
“He’s d-dead.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
For a moment, Kiva heard nothing except the ringing in her ears. She was aware of Ariana turning white and Oriel going limp in his mother’s arms, of Mirryn’s hands covering a horrified gasp. But all Kiva could do was stare at Tipp, seeing the confirmation in his swollen red eyes.
“I’m afraid the boy is correct,” Galdric said, unaware that she had stopped breathing, stopped thinking. “It was really too easy — I can’t believe any of you bought my exhausted act. As if I wouldn’t have made sure I had enough energy to windfunnel the entire way here and then still have power to spare.” He snorted mockingly. “The moment you and the others left, all I had to do was moan, and the arrogant prince came running to check on me. He never even saw my blade coming.”
Kiva shook her head.
No.
She refused to believe it.
Caldon was strong — he was one of the strongest people Kiva knew. He’d survived stab wounds before. She’d stabbed him once, and he’d been fine. She had to believe —
“Granted, it was only a shallow wound —”
Kiva nearly collapsed from relief.
“— but there was enough necros venom lacing the tip to bring down an entire army.”
The ringing returned to Kiva’s ears, louder this time, her vision blurring with it.
Necros venom — from a necros adder.
A single bite could kill a full-grown adult.
In seconds.
“No.” This time she said the word aloud, her voice unrecognizable. “I don’t — I don’t believe you.” She was trembling all over, her body reacting to what her mind refused to accept.
“That doesn’t change the truth,” Galdric said, shrugging. “The prince is rotting in a ditch right now.” A laugh left him as he pointed to Tipp. “This one tried to shove water down his throat, even as he choked on his last breaths. Water! As if that was going to do anything!” Another laugh. “So much for all the years he spent as your assistant. The boy clearly has a lot to learn. But in his defense, nothing short of your magic would have saved the prince — there’s no cure for necros venom in all of Wenderall.”