Page 91 of Hunger & Harmony

Even if I don’t have a mask like them, I remain still and silent like I do. I fight the urge to fidget as anxiety crawls under my skin.

“We act now and create a new path.”

Murmurings roll over the crowd. Everyone seems to agree with her.

An ache flares in my chest. I hold in a wince, feeling Niko at the source. He’s fraying at the seams, with nowhere to turn and no one to trust.

“The prophecy is not a verdict,” Ryel says from the back of the crowd. “There’s no law forcing us to obey.”

I hold my tongue. Ryel has always been argumentative and not shy about his dislike for me. The betrayal to his king, though . . .Niko regards him as more than a lead guitarist, but a brother, and I feel every gash these words cut into him.

Does Ryel really think he’s being neutral? He speaks like he’s only advocating for what’s best. I can only imagine how Selene and Ezren feel about this.

“What ‘pivot’ is there?”

All attention shifts to Selene. She’s closer than last time, her mask facing us.

“The bond symptoms worsen when there’s distance,” she says, her strong voice wavering. “I don’t deny the existence of the prophecy. The proof sits on the throne.” She bows her head. “But if a reversal is considered, what of the consequences?”

“What of the consequences to our Court?” Archduchess Imara replies coolly. “The greater good outweighs the feeble hope of a clean solution.”

I nearly choke on the silence that follows her words. Without seeing her, I feel the Archduchess staring right at me. I’m a sacrifice she’s willing to make—I wonder if her own nephew is any safer.

A chill runs down my spine, and I subtly take ‌a breath. The longer I sit on this throne, the more hunted I feel.

“If the bond cannot be broken . . .”

I tense when I hear the noble in sapphire again, even if I can’t see him. His words weave through the crowd, sticky and cloying in my ears.

“Perhaps it should be directed?”

There’s a pause, and a slight tilt to the Archduchess’s head. She’s considering his words when Ryel’s retort swells up.

“It should be destroyed!”

I finally spot him. Ryel stands next to the doors, cloaked in anger and shadow with his back turned. My fingers curl into tight fists, creating half-moons on my palms as I hold it together. Niko fractures more with each word.

“Our king’s rise was only allowed because prophecy demanded it.” His voice raises so everyone can hear. “An impure king born of a treasonous bard’s plans.”

I feel it before I hear it.

The arm of his throne cracks as Niko slams his fist down. Waves of unadulterated grief have me clutching my chest, worsened by his anger.

“You are my sworn brother!” His roar echoes around as he directs every ounce of hurt towards the opening doors. “You think so little of me? You concede to the Court after all this time?”

He stands, a long shadow cast over the golden illusion of the courtroom. The warmth still stifles the room.

“Lady Evelyn’s fate was her own, Your Majesty,” Archduchess Imara says. “Lawful.”

As the doors close behind Ryel, I can only ask one question.

Why?

“If these are the laws you bind me to,” Niko says, voice unwavering. “I see no reason to comply.”

A crack to break the Court’s leverage. Archduchess Imara pauses, and I know she knows it, too. She needs his compliance. If he’s willing to burn everything down like he’s shown before, then the prophecy is set in stone.

“If I am a mistake, then I am his.”