“You think it coincidence,” her mum says, tapping her platinum arm ring, “that the Vatran heir in turn now has a dragon of the Fire Dynasty, the first one since Cuatra herself?”
“I don’t think it’s a coincidence, no, but I also don’t know how it’s going to help us. Skylar’s new dragon only means the king thinks Vatra has some divine right to rule over both continents. He’ll definitely invade.”
Although it won’t be up to him, will it? Skylar or Zryan will becomethe monarch, and she really doesn’t think they will invade. Unless of course they must. If there’s something wrong with the Heart, then wouldn’t they march for Arturea’s resources?
At the end of the day, Zryan will do what’s best for his kingdom. But she thinks of what he said in the dungeons. What he admitted to her in the forest.
Lately, I’ve been questioning my priorities.
And he flew straight for her mother after Jessa died, even though her mother was the one responsible for that scar along his torso. Stars, her mother almost killed him. And he still did that for Astrid. The question is on the tip of her tongue when she stops herself. No, Astrid won’t raise it with her mum, because what’s the point? It was naive of Astrid to think Gwen never stooped to such methods, not when the choice was her own daughter or a stranger meant to kill her. Astrid understands.
As for Skylar, Astrid’s not sure what she’ll do if she becomes queen. Probably let the whole world burn.
“Having the descendant of mighty Artemia, though, will give them pause,” her mum continues.
“Only if I win,” Astrid says quietly.
“You will win, you have Bastet. The first thing you do when you get in that arena is you cast your shields, jump on his back, and you damn well fly. Hitting a moving aerial target? She won’t stand a hope in Hel.”
Astrid pauses. Her mother is right: she didn’t even think of that. If she can get above Skylar with her vials, then… Astrid stops. Her chin drops.
“I don’t want to kill her.” Not that she could, even if she tried.
Her mother is silent a moment, eyes coasting over her daughter. Then she reaches for her. Strokes her cheek. “You have no choice. You have to kill her.”
And that’s the truth of it. One of them has to kill the other. And yet she feels like Skylar is the only one who truly understands her. She desperately wants to discuss this theory of Skylar’s about who’s behind the assassination attempts, but she knows it’ll have to wait.
“Have you been taking your tonic?” her mum asks softly. She hasn’t, in truth, but she nods her head anyway.
Her mother leads her off the boat so they can make their way back to the castle, asking Astrid if she’s able to amplify Bjorn’s Gift so his shield might surround them all—she can, it turns out—but Astrid is only half concentrating. She keeps glancing back at the burning boat heading for the horizon, waiting for it to disappear and dreading the moment it does, knowing it will be the last time she will ever see her friend in this world.
Knowing it won’t be long until she sees her again in the next.
41Skylar
Skylar meets Astrid in the west wing of the castle, on the ground floor, next to a painting of the king before Zachary—one known for hunting down the last of the Exhausters. She left Kaida with Bastet, who agreed to babysitting duty on the condition that they be provided with a plate of raw meat.
“So,” Astrid says as Skylar approaches. “You said you had a theory.” The shadows under her eyes are still there, and there’s a dullness to her skin, her hair. It makes Skylar realize how much light usually surrounds her.
There’s no point asking how she is, though—the answer is obvious. “Well,” Skylar says, gesturing down the corridor, “everyone keeps telling me that it can’t be the Vatran royals trying to kill us. But to my mind, Daddy Despot has the biggest reason to want us dead. We both die, they can keep the Heart, and they don’t have to worry about what to do with me after the duel, right?”
Astrid flicks a glance at her. “I presume you’ve got a theory on how he’s magically got around the Covenant, then?” There’s a touch of sarcasm. All things considered, Skylar will take that.
“Well, not exactly. But my thinking is—we need to see the wording of the Covenant for ourselves. If that’s what stops the royals from going after us, then let’s be sure, shall we?”
“I’m a witch. They’re not going to be all that willing to just hand it over to me to look at.”
Skylar winks. “Well, good thing you’ve got me, isn’t it?”
“And how exactly are you going to get your hands on it?”
“I’m going to ask nicely.”
For the first time in days, a shadow of a smile crosses Astrid’s face. There is a cruel sort of irony that the happiestSkylarhas felt in days is making Astrid smile.
They come to a stop outside the door at the end of the corridor. Skylar asked Axel where the Covenant was kept, and he’d offered up the information easily enough. She bangs her fist against the door, hears hurried footsteps on the other side.
The door creaks open, and the Custodian’s face peers through the gap.
