She drew a breath, his vow pressed into her bones.
“We must leave Rhidian with as many allies as possible.”
She looked once to each face.
“Tonight we go to the Vykenraven.”
The silence that followed was sacred.
Gabriel moved first, dragging two fingers across his chest in the ancient salute of Vykenra.
Evander’s hand struck the table twice, Bernewood’s pledge echoing like the heartbeat of the forest.
Storne straightened, fist pressed to his chest—the gesture of a man who had once stood beside a queen.
Last was Viktor. He brushed three fingers across his brow—the salute of Aerdania—his eyes finding Amerei’s as he did. Frost and fire sparked in that silence, a promise burning colder and truer than steel wrenched from ice.
Four men. Four lands. One future queen.
Storne let the stillness linger, then spoke with command.
“Find your way to the Ivory Pillars within the hour. I will prepare you to endure this evening.”
Evander frowned. “Won’t Zeporah see us?”
“The same waters that feed her magic can obscure it,” Storne said. “She drinks from the moon’s pull on the sea. But the waterfalls at the Pillars run too strong for her scrying to pierce.”
Evander’s mouth curved, grim. “A blind spot.”
Gabriel flexed his gauntlet. “Scouting armor?”
“Bring anything that can take a beating,” Storne answered without missing a beat.
Gabriel huffed. “Why did I even ask?”
“One hour,” Storne said, pushing back from the table.
He paused, turning his gaze on Evander.
“Oh—and I heard about the cherry tree.”
Evander stiffened, but Storne’s eyes had already shifted to Amerei. His voice softened, low enough for her alone.
“It seems we have two of them with us.”
Gabriel lifted his hand beneath the table’s edge, flame curling once in his palm—a whisper of fire, gone as quickly as it came.
“Three of them.”
Storne’s eyes narrowed, recognition sharp and immediate.
Amerei smiled faintly, her gaze darting between them.
For a one stolen moment, it felt as if every secret in the room burned bare.
Casqadia’s hidden heir—and her three Ruakite guardians.
Bound by fire. Bound by fate.
