Teren exhaled and nodded, then crossed his arms and leaned against the nearest wall like he was about to deliver a blow. “I have a contact in the Varnari.”
That earned a reaction. Naia sat forward quickly, Ferrula froze mid-polish of her blade, and Cordelle looked like he’d swallowed a stormberry whole.
“Don’t ask me who,” Teren warned. “I won’t tell you. But she says Theron… he’s their number two.”
“What?” I breathed.
He nodded. “She thinks Theron plans to rule Warriath, but he has a partner. They are consolidating power to take the rest of the kingdoms.”
“But we aren’t at war with any of the other kingdoms in Earendall,” Naia said, her brows furrowed. “That doesn’t make sense.”
“They’re fractured,” Teren said grimly. “Just like the guilds. My contact says some follow Dorian, some Theron. None of the outer regions is unified anymore. And the Varnari… they’re not just a rogue group anymore. They’re turning into a shadow government.”
Silence settled around us like a heavy cloak.
“If that’s true,” Ferrula said slowly, “then the king wasn’t just poisoned for the throne. He was silenced for resisting the Varnari’s influence.”
“Exactly.”
“Is there any way to substantiate this?” Zander asked, his voice tight with tension.
Teren shook his head. “Not unless we can find out who’s leading the Varnari.”
Remy muttered a curse and stood. “Then we dig until we find them.”
Zander looked at me.This changes everything,he said through our bond.
I nodded.No. It just confirms what we’ve feared all along. Warriath is already at war. The rest of the realm just hasn’t realized it yet.
Ferrula grabbed one of the biscuits from the plate Naia had brought up, tearing a chunk from it with her teeth like it had insulted her. “How do we confirm Theron’s aiding the Varnari?” she asked around a bite. “Do you think we can use him to find their leader?”
“Maybe,” I said. “But first, we should find out who the cloaked woman was. The one giving those Crimson Sigil men their orders. She came from the castle. She’s working with Theron.”
Ferrula coughed once, sharp and sudden, and swallowed. “Maybe it’s his new bride,” she said, brushing crumbs from her shirt. “She’ll be queen when Theron ascends. That’s motivation enough for a woman like her.”
“And what kind of woman is that?” Jax asked, stretching out across the foot of his bunk with a bemused smirk.
Ferrula rolled her eyes. “All window dressing,” she muttered, reaching for the biscuit again.
She didn’t get another bite down.
Ferrula coughed hard—once, then twice—and then her hand went to her throat as her eyes went wide. The biscuit dropped from her fingers and hit the floor with a dull thud.
“Ferr?” Jax was already on his feet, moving fast. “You okay?”
She shook her head, a panicked look overtaking her features. Her breaths were coming in short, ragged gasps. Her lips parted as she tried to suck in air, but the sound was wrong, tight, shallow, desperate.
Zander dashed out of the room as I went to Ferrula’s side. “Zander will get Meri. She will be here in a minute. Just try to take small calming breaths.”
I could see Ferrula trying, but it was as if her throat had closed, or something was blocking her airway. Her skin took on a bluish color before Meri rushed in.
Her hands were glowing as she reached for Ferrula. “She’s choking,” she said quickly. “No. Wait. It’s something else.”
Ferrula’s hand gripped Jax’s arm like a vice as she sank down onto the edge of her bed, her face paling as her throat swelled.
“She’s not choking,” I said, ice forming in my gut. “She’s been poisoned.”
Cordelle bolted for the door. “I’ll get help?—”
