I hate that he's right. Hate that his refined technique makes my brutal power look like the crude weapon it is. But I'm also fascinated, drawn to this cousin who sees magic as art rather than arsenal.
"Teach me," I hear myself say.
His smile is gentle. Almost pitying. "Some things can't be taught, Kaan. Either you have the subtlety for it, or you have the strength. We each have our gifts."
He means it kindly. But it plants a seed—the knowledge that no matter how powerful I become, there will always be something missing. Some refinement I can't achieve through raw force alone.
Later that evening, I watch him demonstrate fire-shadow fusion to a gathered crowd of eastern lords. The flames don't burn—they shimmer, dancing through darkness like captured starlight. Beautiful. Controlled. Everything I'm not.
"Your cousin has a gift," my father's voice purrs from behind me. "Such precision. Such patience. Qualities you might learn from, my son."
The comparison stings because it's true. I am all force and fury where Yasar is calculation and grace.
"But remember," Erlik continues, his hand heavy on my shoulder, "power without refinement still breaks what refinement without power cannot. You are the heir. He is merely... complementary.
Merely. The word echoes through decades of rivalry disguised as family loyalty.
"What do you think he wants?" Emir asks, pulling me back to the present.
"Whatever it is, it's not going to help me." I read the letter again, searching for hidden meanings. "Yasar was always subtle when I was blunt. His shadows moved like whispered secrets while mine announced themselves with thunder. This offer of military support—it's too convenient. Too perfectly timed."
"He could be sincere. The eastern territories have strong ties to the Shadow Court bloodline. Family loyalty isn't impossible."
"Family loyalty in the demon realms means competition, not connection." I toss the letter onto my desk with disgust. "He trained with Erlik for fifty years, Emir. Fifty years of my father whispering in his ear about bloodlines and power and whatever manipulation suited his purposes. Then he surfaces just as Banu disappears, just as the Light Court invades, just as my marriage crumbles."
"You think Erlik sent him?"
"I think Erlik uses everyone around him as pieces in games we don't understand until it's too late." My shadows coil tighter. "And I think Yasar arriving now, offering help when I'm at my weakest, is not a coincidence."
Emir is quiet for a moment. "What do you want to do?"
"Have the court scribes examine it. Look for hidden spells, secondary messages, anything that might reveal his true intentions. Double the guard on the eastern approaches. And..." I pause, dreading what comes next. "I need to tell Nesilhan."
"She should be warned," Emir agrees carefully. "But perhaps avoid mentioning your suspicions until we have proof? Lady Nesilhan is already dealing with considerable grief. Adding paranoia about family conspiracies might?—"
"Might what? Make her hate me more?" The laugh that escapes me is bitter. "That ship sailed when I chose to save her life over our child's."
Through the frayed bond between us, I feel nothing. She's learned to wall herself off from me so completely that even our magical connection carries only emptiness now.
"She needs to know he's coming," I say finally. "And she needs to be careful around him. Yasar is dangerous precisely because he doesn't seem to be."
I findher in the western gardens just after sunset, sitting on a stone bench surrounded by flowers that glow with captured starlight. She's watching twilight deepen over the Shadow Court's twisted spires, her face a mask of careful neutrality that doesn't quite hide the exhaustion beneath.
Grief ages a person in ways time alone never could.
"We need to talk," I say, foregoing any pleasantries.
She doesn't turn. "If you're here to explain another secret you've been keeping, spare me the preamble and just tell me what fresh horror awaits."
The bitterness in her voice rakes down my spine, but I deserve it. Every word. Every accusation.
"My cousin Yasar is coming," I say bluntly. "Within the fortnight. He's offering military support against the Light Court invasion."
She looks at me, confusion flickering across her features. "Your cousin? I didn't know you had family besides your father."
"I don't advertise it." I move closer, though she tenses like I might strike her. "Yasar and I grew up together in the eastern territories. He's Erlik's nephew. And I wanted to warn you before he arrived—he's... complicated. Charming. He'll say all the right things, offer sympathy about our loss, position himself as everything I'm not."
"And why would that concern me?" Her voice is ice. "Unless you're worried I might actually prefer someone who isn't you."
