How she had solved it—what she had determined the king wanted her for—Cason had no idea, but that woman was brilliant beyond belief. And that gods-damned smile absolutely delighted him in the worst ways possible. Brela seemed to inhale every breath of surprise and awe as if it fueled her spirit.
Accurate. That woman had an ego. She also earned every ounce of it.
Boelyn growled, breaking the silence. “We can always serve your head to Anfroy and Rooke, Veil trash. Or perhaps carve that shard out of your skin. You are our prisoner and you will—”
“Prisoner?” Brela rolled her eyes as she cut him off. “About that…”
With a single nod, Brela, Elias, and Farrah shook their wrists at the same time, manacles unclasping and clattering to the ground.
As everyone gawked, Cason’s traitorous mouth decided to smile. He would bet good money that they’d been free this entire time, just waiting for the right moment for their dramatic reveal.
His eyes landed on Brela who had a wild smile on her face as she watched him. Dozens of thoughts crossed his mind about the woman—brilliant, beautiful, bold—but one description stood out among the rest.
Empress of Chaos.
* * *
Swords were drawna breath after Brela’s irons hit the table. Every Severinian soldier in the room had their blades pointed to the three assassins, but Brela had calculated that move perfectly.
Farrah had given the first signal, much sooner than Brela had expected. It was hard to be annoyed that Farrah had freed herself before Elias for the first time ever, though it did force Brela to get her shit together faster.
The two soldiers behind the king had shifted to either side of the man before stopping, realizing that Farrah and Elias weren’t attacking. Boelyn was too far away to swing at Brela before asking questions, and too surprised to call his lightning that fast, so he only gaped.
And, as she predicted, the prince and Cason never drew their weapons. For Serill, it was because he was too surprised at the misdirection and dramatic reveal. For Cason… well, the shine in his eyes had her grinning ear to ear, even if he had no idea the emotion he was radiating.
She’d timed everything—spoken every word precisely and moved deliberately through the room—so that the quick-twitching fire wielder would know she meant no harm to the king.
But there was a slight problem.
She still hadno gods-damned cluewhat the king wanted with her.
Well, not entirely. A small piece of the puzzle had clicked when she saw the map on the table, butwhy? Why did he think she would help him with this?
For the second time in her life, she thanked the trickster shadow god Ryia because no one in the room knew she was bluffing. Then, she thanked herself for training Farrah and Elias so well, because four hells, they had the audacity to lookpositively boredwith the whole situation, even though Brela knew their minds were reeling.
Silence was dangerous now. The longer it continued, the more likely King Ingram would realize she was bluffing.Sharpshadow. She had to stay ahead of her opponent.
Brela spun around the table toward the king’s captain and purred. “Close that mouth of yours, Boelyn, otherwise people might think you’re impressed with a Veil Worshipper.”
Even if he had tried, there was no way he could hide his shock. “How did you…”
She snorted. “I’ve been chained to the bottom of a river, half naked, in the middle of winter as a training exercise. I think I can handle picking a simple cuff lock.”
The man’s jaw snapped shut, but as she took another step toward the empty chair in front of the king, Boelyn’s sword tip pressed into her chest. “Take one more step. Give me a reason to drive this into your heart,” he growled.
She held her chin higher, despite seeing her friends tense slightly. “If I wanted to kill your king, he’d be dead already.”
Boelyn bared his teeth, but it was the king who finally broke the silence. “How could you possibly know what I have planned?”
Brela fought the temptation to grind her teeth, knowing Cason would pick up on her frustration. A question meant to feel her out. Test her skills. Determine if she really knew what the king had planned.
Serill was right; the man was clever.
She gave a pointed look at the blade against her chest, waiting for Boelyn to let her pass. He relented with a hiss through his teeth, the sound deepening as she strolled by with a wink.
“It’s quite obvious which of my skills you’re most interested in,” Brela hummed, dropping herself into the chair next to Elias. She ignored the questions hidden in his beautiful emerald eyes and the casual-yet-cautious glance from Farrah.
Brela leaned back and propped her feet on the desk, crossing her ankles and wrapping her hands around the back of her neck. The perfect portrait of cocky and relaxed, still aware of every sword drawn and ready to strike.
