“And die in the first wave?”
“No,” I said, lifting my hand to quiet them. “We don’t storm the gates. Not yet. We infiltrate.”
I pointed to the western flank of the palace walls.
“There’s a breach here. Old, forgotten, but still open. We slip through. Two teams. I’ll go in through the front — cause a distraction.”
“And the rest of us?” Jisoo asked.
“That’s where you come in.”
I turned deliberately.
“Yuna, you’ll go with Taeyang. You’re fastest. You’ll reach the west wing before the guards know what’s happening. Seori may be there.”
Yuna stiffened. Taeyang didn’t look at her. But I felt the tension spike like fire between them.
“Minji,” I continued, “You’ll go with Jisoo. The archives sit below the main tower. There may be spell work there—wards protecting the throne room. I want them gone before I enter.”
Minji’s jaw clenched.
“You’re pairing me withhim?”
“I trust you’ll keep him in line,” I said dryly.
Jisoo muttered,
“If she doesn’t kill me first.”
“I’m counting on it.”
The silence that followed was tense, but I felt something shift. Beneath the anger, the heartbreak, the betrayal — there was purpose. Rage sharpened into resolve.
I folded the map.
“We move at nightfall. No delays. No mercy.”
Taeyang finally looked at Yuna. She was already watching him.
Minji’s eyes flicked to Jisoo. His gaze dropped.
And I… I closed my hand over the bond mark searing through my chest.
Hold on, Seori,I thought.I’m coming for you.
Seori
The crown of stars
The gown shimmered like dusk spun into silk — a deep indigo laced with silver threads that moved like constellations across my skin. It fit too well. As if it had been made for me before I ever drew breath.
A servant—no, a lady-in-waiting—tightened the bodice and stepped back with a bow. I looked at my reflection. I didn’t see a hunter.
I saw something else. Something terrifyinglyreal.
Then the doors opened.
She swept in like the echo of a forgotten storm. The Demon Queen. My mother.
