Mercurial shook his head. “That’s a question. And not one I will answer today, mylord.I am simply here toremind you, as a courtesy, that Lyriana is running out of time. And therefore, you are running out of time. Moriel is growing closer to claiming his indigo shard by the day. And Ereshya is not long from finding hers. Despite the magic you placed upon it, every action you take, and every choice Lyriana makes is leading her to it.” He shook his head. “Can you imagine the threat of destruction those two shall pose if they claim them? If they remain unchallenged? If they claim the rest?” His eyes darkened. “You lived through it once before. But Asherah did not survive.”
My chest tightened, the visceral memory of losing her still haunted me, days after my dream. And now, the fear of losing her again, of losing Lyr, had become a constant ache in my chest.
“ThisRakashonim,” I said. “Is that what she’s using to heal? Is this what she’s been drawing on when she calls on Asherah? Is it related to vorakh? You said Shiviel was the only one without vorakh or access to it, so what does that mean for Lyr?”
He shook his head. “You’ve gotten enough out of me, old friend. You both need to leave here. You’re getting distracted. Falling into his plots. Again! My remembered Goddess can have what she wants. But she needs to escape your father, needs to come find me, needs to claim the red shard before the others find theirs. They are too close, and it won’t matter how many Guardians you have on your side if you don’t have any shards to wield in the coming war.”
The Valalumir stars twinkling against the ceiling suddenly went out as the torch in the hall hissed with fresh life.
“How?” I asked desperately. “How do we get out of here? How do we get to the red shard?”
The door at the end of the hall creaked open.
“Godsdamnit! You tasked her with this! You expect her to meet your demands. Give us something!” I seethed.
“Get away from here,” Mercurial hissed. He stretched his neck from side to side, the movements snakelike, until his body began to shimmer. Then he vanished, turning to mist as I rushed forward, trying to stop him.
“Mercurial!” I yelled. But the Afeya was gone.
Footsteps echoed in the hallway. Boots splashed through the pooling puddles on the ground. The sound grew louder, the boots coming closer, and my dread began to grow.
I puffed out my chest, grunting under my breath, pushing and fighting. I was desperate to tear through more of the ropes, to break free.
“I so hate to see you like this,” my father said, peering through the bars. His aura, cold and vicious, wrapped around me. “Nose broken, power and body bound. So unbefitting of an Heir to the Arkasva and Imperator.”
So, it was true. I’d been reinstated. “Where is she?”
“You will be happy to know that as of tonight, you have received an official pardon from the Glemarian Council. You will no longer be considered forsworn. You will be publicly recognized as my Heir. You will henceforth be known as Lord Rhyan Hart, Heir to the Arkasva, High Lord of Glemaria, Imperator to the North. The title of Heir Apparent that you once possessed will go to my other son, your new baby brother.”
I shook my head in disbelief. My title. Mybrother.Kenna’s baby.
“All other crimes that you’re accused of from the Imperator of the South will be amended, including your absence without leave. We will also put a stop to the claims alleging you kidnapped Lyriana. As for the vile, disgusting rumors of the affair between you two, those are now null, and should no longer be of concern.”
“What did you do to Lyriana?” I gritted through my teeth.
But he ignored me, continuing on as if I weren’t there. “Now that you are no longer forsworn, you will resume yourduties as an Heir, as well as your daily soturion training at the academy. You will be an apprentice. Lyriana will remain your novice, though under close watch. No one knows of her magic—she shall continue as if she has none. That, at least, should feel familiar.” He winked. “When not in class, you will be expected in Court, like before.”
“Like nothing happened? Are you farther than Lethea? Everyone in Glemaria is just going to, what?” I yelled. “Accept me? Decide to ignore the word of their Imperator and every belief they held for the last year? You swore I was a murderer. Do you expect them to forget that? Forget that your own private guard swore to my crimes? That you obtained the testimony of your Arkmage, and then forced testimony from Kenna? You shared those with every Arkasva in the North.”
“New compelling evidence has arisen from the night of your mother’s murder.”
“New evidence!” I spat. “Pray tell, Father. Is this new evidence the truth? Are you going to turn yourself in?”
“Father? You mean, Your Highness,” he growled. “Careful now, you don’t want to speak of treason.” He cleared his throat. “I need you looking presentable. We’re having a special session in the Seating Room tomorrow. I’m sending someone to fix your nose. You’ll also need to be bathed,” his lip curled in disgust, “and shaved. You’ll be offered a new set of Glemarian leathers, one with the proper sigil of Ka Hart. No more of that gryphon-shit thing you were wearing. You fight for us now.”
“Where is she?” I asked. I didn’t care about this farce of a Council meeting. I didn’t care about my titles, or what farther than Lethea story he’d invented to erase my crimes. “What have you done with Lyriana?”
He sighed. “You’ll be twenty-three at winter’s end. A ripe age to renounce your bachelorhood.” He frowned. “I think you’ve done more than enough courting. We don’t need a repeat of last time.”
My chest tightened. Last time …
He steepled his fingers below his beard. “It’s good for the people of Glemaria to see some stability with you—especially after your wanderings.”
I huffed. “What a fucking polite term for exile.”
“Rhyan,” he said, his aura pulsing, somehow heavier, its weight crushing down on me. “I’ve entertained you tonight. But I’m going to lose patience soon. And you don’t want that. Not after Lyriana pleaded so prettily for you to be healed. Now, most importantly, we need to squash those rumors about you and her. You know the punishment for fucking someone in your soturion lineage. Which is why we will announce your engagement.”
“Absolutely not! I left before,” I threatened. “You think I won’t do it again? That I won’t find a way? That I won’t hesitate to take Lyriana and Meera with me?”
