“You’re the scientist,” I counter, earning an incredulous look from her. But the odds don’t so much matter to me as the poeticjustice does. He hurt someone I love, and maybe it’s the rush of magic talking, or maybe I simply have become the monster they feared I might with Rhea at my side, but I find myself enjoying the fact that I’ll get to return the hurt that he’s caused.
“It seems fate has a funny sense of humor,” I muse as I draw him nearer, the tips of his toes dragging along the floor. I direct magic to my eyes, hoping that his low, pathetic cry is because he recognizes that he’s no longer looking upon his king but his executioner. “Your nephew’s a little shorter than me, right? With shoulder-length black hair and a cruel little smirk? He knows how to make gelsemium tinctures, which I suppose makes sense considering who he’s had as a father. Well, fatherfigure.” Galen’s eyebrows race towards his hairline. “Yes, Stephan and I have met, and I’m afraid, I’m not going to be able to give him that message after all.”
“W—why?” he asks, complexion turning red as the ropes around him tighten.
“Because I watched Stephan die,” I murmur, my lip lifted in a snarl. “When I killed him myself.”
Galen’s reaction is short lived, his distress at what I’ve said and the life being squeezed out of him lasting for only a few minutes. He fights to breathe through the shadow tightening its hold on his neck, and I watch as the life slowly leaves his eyes, second by second until they gloss over and fall closed. When I let his body brusquely drop, sending the shadows back to where they came from, I release a breath and tip my head back. There is relief in Galen’s death, but there is also something insidious that peeks from behind a corner in my mind. A reminder that every action taken since I woke up from the Middle has been one that has taken me farther away from Rhea.
“You good?” Bahira asks, prompting me to nod.
“I will be, but there is something I need to do,” I tell her, reaching to grab my tunic. It is cut up and soaked in blood,but I slip it on anyway, remembering the jealousy that filled a certain pair of green eyes when I had come in from sparring with Cass bare-chested. The thought of my best friend, of my brother, stops me in my tracks, a knot of emotion I’ve tried to keep buried struggling to make its way back to the surface. But now is not the time to acknowledge the devastation I feel.
Stepping over Galen’s body, I reach for the door, Bahira following behind me. “Are we just going to leave him here?”
“For now. I’ll use the shadows to lock the door from the inside to buy some time for me to gather the council without suspicion. Will you relay everything Galen shared with us to Mother and Father?”
“Of course, but this doesn’t end with the council, Nox.”
A dark wisp of a shadow slides beneath the door at my command, a few seconds passing before we hear the lock of the door click. The shadow returns to where I grabbed it from.
“Gods, it’s been a while since I’ve seen your magic at work.”
I smirk as I guide us out of the healer’s wing, heading in the direction of the main foyer. “I’m not staying a moment longer than I have to, Bahira. It’s been…fuck, it’s been far too long that Rhea’s been in King Dolian’s hands. I have to go.”
“And you will, but first, I have an idea about the Mirror.” We continue down the hallway, passing only one other healer who averts their gaze. “The stones that Rhea practiced imbuing with her magic, are they still in your room?”
My brows furrow, our steps loud as we climb stairs to the first floor. “Yes, why?”
“Because I think that is the missing link. I’ll explain once we finish whatever it is you’re planning with the council.”
“You can leave, if you want to,” I say as we enter the final corridor. “You’ve already helped more than necessary.”
She lets out a short laugh, glancing at me from the corner of her eye. “If you think I’m going to let you take all the creditfor bringing those guilty on the council to justice, you’re sorely mistaken.”
I shake my head as a grin tugs at my mouth, the door to the council room finally coming into view. “It won’t take long,” I tell her as our steps slow. But they come to halt completely when the sound of blended voices rises not from the council room, but from the main foyer.
“Is there something happening today that I forgot?” I ask in a low voice, my magic humming beneath my skin.
Bahira leads the way, fingers flexing at her side. I realize she isn’t holding her spear, likely having left it on the training grounds. “Not that I’m aware of.” We step out of the hallway and into the massive room at the front of the palace and find the council, our parents, guards, and some of the palace court staring at us as if they were waiting for our arrival. I push more of my power to right beneath the surface, expanding my signature so that everyone can feel its presence. A few people gasp, some guards even lay their hands over the hilt of their swords, their brows lifted high. I meet my father’s gaze, his relief instant as he forces a smile to his face. And then I drag my eyes to Kallin. He’s always been a guarded man, never one to show much emotion outside of his calculating stoicism. But I watch as he takes the two of us in, as he realizes his plans to keep me chained like a dog have failed.
“Your Majesty,” he says, pulling his hands behind his back as he takes a step forward, his black boots clicking against the stone floors. “We heard you might have been injured on the training grounds today. I’m pleased to see that you are…wellnow.”
“I’m sure you are.” I lift my chin as Kallin examines me, and I only just now realize how I must look. Hair disheveled because it’s grown too long. Clothes dirtied from fighting with Arin. Tunic ripped and tainted with blood. I look down at my hand, the one I used to pummel Arin, and find flecks of his dried bloodin the grooves of my knuckles. I smile as I look back up to the councilman and call my magic into my palm, letting the purple glow and wisps of black dance around my hand. “To be honest, I haven’t felt this good in a long,longtime.”
“No doubt in thanks to Galen,” he says slowly, pacing in front of councilmen Osiris, Arav, and Borris. Hadrik stands next to my parents, his lips tilted to the right in a victorious smirk. Councilwoman Naji’s dark eyes scour Bahira and I, her arms folded over her chest in clear disappointment. The rest of the council is spread out, some looking at me with the same uneasy ire as Kallin, while others keep their expressions more reserved. More cautious. Unfortunately for everyone outside of Hadrik, they are going to find that my own wrath burns hotter, and it demands justice. “I’ve gathered everyone here because I had a feeling you might want to see just how many people support you, Your Majesty, through this new transition into king.” He walks closer to me, lowering his head in a mock bow as he speaks only loud enough for me to hear. “Be mindful of what you do in front of all of these people. Public perception is as fragile as it is damning, and forgiveness will not easily be given. No matter what you proclaim.” Then, even more quietly, “Or whatshedoes.”
He lifts his head, offering me a grin colored with the victory he’s so sure he’s earned.
I lean close as well, my voice a weapon all its own. “A well-played move, Councilman. But you have forgotten one crucial thing.”
“I highly doubt that, but humor me, Your Majesty.”
I tug on my magic, forcing it to fill my body until Kallin’s eyes widen at how my own are haloed in purple and black. “That there is only one person in the whole of Olymazi whose opinion I give a shit about.”
A retort sharpens on his tongue but doesn’t get the chance to be spoken before the screams and shouts of those around us begin to slice through the air. Shadows peel off the walls and lift from the floors, following my command as I guide them to each councilman and woman, catching a few off guard while snatching others who have attempted to run away. To his credit, Kallin doesn’t fight as the first rope of darkness bands around him, swirling over his legs and up his torso. The guards disperse, a clear divide between those who are working for Kallin and those who aren’t with the former drawing their weapons. Bahira runs to our parents, and I surround them with a magical barrier before clearing my throat.
“The council has betrayed the Crown and everything they are supposed to stand for. They have participated in secret machinations to not only weaken the royal family but harm the rightful heir to the throne.” I choose my words carefully because even though this kingdom and all its subjects belong to Rhea, until she claims them for herself, it is not my place to share that she is the queen of Void Magic. Panicked eyes meet mine, but the guards don’t advance any farther. They stay in place, marveling at my magic.
