Looking down at my husband’s hand, I realized the ring that had been there before the Battle of No Rain had gone missing.
Byn must have realized what Ihada second later, but the queen spoke before we could.
“I don’t appreciate threats to me,orto my people. I also don’t appreciate you all invading our waters in an effort to force a landing onmyislands,” Queen Calista said, rising to her feet.
“When the South’s corvid got lost on its way here, running into me instead, I figured I would help it deliver the message myself. Though, Ihadn’tbeen expecting such a threatening message to have been sent—especially whenthe humanshave minded their own for so long in this war,” Dimitri explained further.
This has to be a sick, twisted joke, I thought.
Dimitri had woven together the perfect scheme to paint the South as the villains in the war.
And the human queen seemed to have already made up her mind.
“Queen Calista, please, you don’t understand—” I started,thoughwas quickly cut off.
“I understand better thanyou’dimagine,child, andI’veheard enough. Besides, I have made my decision,” she declared. “If I must choose a side in this war for it to finally end, then I’d rather be on the side thatdoesn’tthreaten the lives of humans before we’ve evenmet.”
We all watched as the queen and Dimitri turned to face each other, and Icouldn’thelp but notice the menacing, crazed glint in my brother’s eyes.
“I accept your offer, King DimitriHeartshireof the North,” Queen Calista announced.
Dimitri lifted his chin slightly. “I’d like to also receive whatever information my sister was seeking, if that’s alright.”
The human queen nodded. “Done.”
“Then it’s settled,” Dimitri said, holding out his hand toward her.
I surged forward as I watched Queen Calista reach out toward my twin’s hand, trying to stop her from making such a grave mistake. But before I could take two steps, the human guards closed in, blocking us off from the dais and those on it.
“I vow to uphold my endofour deal,” Queen Calista said, taking hold of Dimitri’s hand.
“And I vow to uphold mine,” Dimitri echoed, then shook her hand.
That act alone now made the humans our rivals.
We were officially in enemy territory.
“Fetch the ancient scroll about the star stones for our new ally,” Queen Calista ordered, and a guard slipped out of formation to do so.
Grinding my teeth, I fought back the zirilium begging to be released.
If I couldn’t get what we’d come for, there was no longer any reason to remain in the Levast Isles.
“Well then, I suppose we can see ourselves out,” I said, falling back to my spot at Byn’s side.
Then Queen Calista chuckled.“Child, you and your people still tried to force a landing on myIsles,andthreatened our lives.”She tooka step down the dais, nearer to us. “You won’t be leaving here alive.”
At those words, more guards funneled into the room, surrounding our small group and closing in on us. Slipping in with the guards, though, was a small woman I imagined was a scribeor librarian of sorts.She held a thick scroll, the one I imagined Dimitri had asked for.
The one we had come all this way for.
And the one I wouldn’t be leaving without.
As the guards closed in, pushing us in toward each other, I kept my eyes on the scribe nearing the dais—though when her gaze met mine, she gave pause.
“Opal,” the human queen called to the scribe. “Bring me the scroll.”
But the scribe didn’t move as the guards attempted to seize us, Opal’s eyes locked on mine.
