“And I’ll admit, in the early days, I was fine with that,” Tua continues, his lips twitching with the memory. “I was content to help my brother rule. To make the best of it all. Our father officially abdicated his throne, and my brother stepped in. He enjoyed the benefits of calling himself king, even if it was at the detriment of everyone else. As long as he held the power, held the riches and everything that went along with it, he didn’t care who he trampled on. Who he destroyed to get what he wanted or how his kingdom suffered because of it.”
I swallow the bitter taste in my mouth, my head swimming from the blood loss or the hits or, fuck, maybe I’ve been down here for longer than I realized. I begin to tug against the restraint, fighting to keep my face neutral as the metal digs into my skin.
“Noa got married because it was expected of him, to the daughter of one of the high-ranking nobles at the time. But he was never faithful to her. As the years passed, each one without a pregnancy to name his heir, he came to resent her.”
I pretend to lose my balance and flop forward, enough to yank on the shackle. Discomfort flares as the constraint wedges a small amount down my hand. My heart thunders in my head, dizziness once more threatening the edges of my mind.
I need a distraction, a reason to try to yank myself forward again. “You truly relish the sound of your own fucking voice.” I snap.
Tua growls, but it’s the female who lunges towards me. Her fist hits my cheek, and I tug on my hand at the same time, a scream ripping from me as my thumb dislocates and sends a wave of agony through my hand and up my arm. I manage to catch the shackle in my shaking fingers before it falls, gripping on to it while my upper body wobbles until I’m forced to lean back against the wall.
“I’ve beenwaitingto do that,” she growls as she stands, stepping back behind Tua.
“You hit like abitch,” I seethe.
When Niko steps forward this time, I brace myself for the assault to come, but Tua extends his hand out to stop him. “She’ll be dead soon enough.”
I shut my eyes, inhaling through my nose and swallowing down the dread that rises at that statement.
“I had approached my brother about Kane being the next to inherit the throne. Whether it be due to the gods or something else, Noa wasn’t able to sire a child, but he had a willing and able nephew who could step into the role. He was reluctant at first, but I eventually convinced him to agree, and Kane, though only ten, began the duties of the heir apparent. Then Noa met a peasant woman from the small village of Honna.”
I begin to tug on the other restraint, leaning my body forward again in an attempt to look off balance. Bile burns up my throat, threatening to spill from my mouth.
“Kai’s mother was meek and mild. For a shifter, she might as well have been nothing but a worm under my boot. But she was pretty and clearly wanted him, so he took advantage. Though I will admit, I underestimated my brother. He kept many secrets about this kingdom and what he did toensureKai would be the strongest among us. To tempt the fates with magic”—his cold eyes find mine, holding them captive—“and blood.”
I draw my brows together, icy awareness of his words prickling my neck as I halt my attempt to free myself. “What do you mean?”
He gives a short laugh, shaking his head as he does. “It’s funny what people will keep a record of, what secrets they will spill onto paper when they think they will be the only consumer of that knowledge. That’s the thing about the written word—the right information in the wrong hands can be deadlier than any sword or dagger. Noa discovered a secret and used it to test on Kai’s mother while she was pregnant with him.”
“Testwhat?” I clench my teeth together so hard that I expect to hear a cracking noise as I return to pulling against the restraint. It slowly—so slowly—moves, my thumb straining to stay in its socket as tears fill my eyes.
“The details don’t matter, at least not to you. The point is, I discovered the same information Noa had, and I also found his own personal documentation of what he did to Kai’s mother. Kai has no idea that his fatheralteredhim before he was even born. Or that Jahlee’s inability to shift is a direct consequence of what was done. But I know the truth, just as I also learned your kingdom’s secret. One that you’ve kept since The War Of Five Kingdoms.”
“Passing through the Spell,” I seethe in answer.
Tua nods his head, squatting down on the balls of his feet until he is at eye level with me. “What a curious thing, isn’t it? While every other realm is trapped within their own borders, mages are able to roam free.”
“Fuck you,” I snap, earning a kick to my ribs from the female. It’s enough of a distraction to yank my hand through the shackle with another yelp. Hands freed, I grip on to the metal with the tips of my fingers as I fight to stay conscious.
“We need to make our next move. Kai should be looking for her now,” Niko says.
I laugh, a maniacal trill that shakes my entire body as I throw my head back against the damp stone, trying to hide the pulsing waves of pain that now make up my body. “Kai doesn’t give a shit about me.”
Both rebels begin to argue, but Tua simply lifts his hand to silence them. “You told him, didn’t you? That you don’t have magic?”
I say nothing, my glower fixed directly on the traitorous bastard.
“It’s why, in the six hours since the rebel attack, he hasn’t once mentioned to me that you are missing.”
Six hours?
Tua nods at the shock in my eyes, the quick slackening of my jaw that I’m unable to stop. “That poison is quite nasty.”
“Father, what are youdoing?” Kane asks, fear and confusion evident in his voice. “You’re working for the rebels?”
“I amleadingthe rebels!” Tua’s calm façade finally falters as he stares at where his son is chained against the wall. “You’ve been a disappointment ever since you allowed Kai to live—”
“He was a fuckingchild!”
