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“Even if I could raise the dead, she’s been gone for over twenty-four hours. How … how can you not understand that?”

I didn’t even need him to answer. My shock and grief of Kat’s death had prohibited the revelation from arriving sooner, but it was all so clear to me now. None of his wives were human to him. We were simply tools to continue his immortal reign.

He no longer understood mortality. Perhaps had never understood knight magic. Because people rushed about to do his bidding, make his life easier. And so, ever so slowly, he had lost every shred of his humanity.

“What did you just say?” the king said, his voice balancing between calm and rage, as if my response would decide which he would choose.

“Did Vi truly die out in The Dark?” I said, my body now speaking without my will or wits. “Or did you kill her too?”

“Violet was nearing sixty years old by the end. She was far too old to benefit us.”

“So you killed her.” The words kept spilling out of me, despite my gut screaming for me to be silent.

He looked at me as if I had said something stupid. “She was killed by The Dark.”

“And who’s responsible for The Dark’s existence?”

He let out a low laugh that sent a chill through me. “An oversight. When you ask a demon to make you king forever, you should be sure to specify how you’d like that wish delivered.”

Before I could make sense of his words he rushed toward me. I stumbled away, throwing up a shield, and he shattered it with a snap of his fingers, his hand around my throat before I had the chance to scream. My back slammed against the wall, and it was all I could do to hold on to the little breath I had.

I clawed at his hand, trying to dig my fingers beneath his. And perhaps he realized his strength, because he laughed lightly, as if this had all been a friendly joke, and removed his hand from me to rest against the wall beside my head. The silent threat of that was more terrifying than the more immediate one of him choking me had been.

“If you want the truth,” he said, almost thoughtfully, “our original plan was to kill you instead of Kat. You’re talented, certainly, but you’re such a dull, mousy little thing when you aren’t in public. You pretend as well as we do, it seems.” He looked a bit concerned by the statement, then shrugged. “But, for some reason, Beric is taken with you. So, for his sake, we’ve allowed you to live.”

I closed my eyes to press back my disgust as the beast caressed my hair. I was right beside the open door. If only I could—

He gripped my hair in his fist, and I moved my head with him so he wouldn’t tear it out.

“But this allowance relies on your obedience, Muse. And if you do not do as your king commands, if Kat is not back to her duties by tomorrow morning … well, we killed her rather quickly and painlessly, didn’t we? You will get no such respect.”

I wanted to scream for Beric, but knew it was futile.

You can’t keep waiting for Beric to protect you.…

You’re a knight, Cali. Protect yourself.

I opened my eyes, looking up into the king’s face. His eyes widened the slightest bit, whites like that of an animal. I wasn’t supposed to look him in the eye, but he said so himself, he wasn’t going to kill me.

Because he couldn’t. There were many knights in this world, but only a small portion could do what I could. Even if he didn’t understand death, he certainly understood that I was the only reason he was still alive.

“You said so yourself, that I’m better than Vi ever was,” I said. “You need me.”

I threw up a shield around my head before I’d even finished speaking—there was no way I could say something so bold, so foolishly defiant, and not expect retaliation. And, sure enough, he snapped his fingers, and I felt the pressure of his magic against my shield. His eyes widened like an agitated animal, black smoke drifting from his hand as he realized what I’d done, but I didn’t give him time to do anything about it.

I threw up another shield, using it to shove him back into the opposite wall, hard. Before he could recover, I shoved him again. And again. I could feel my magic fatiguing me, but if he got close enough to get his hands on me, I was as good as dead. I had to weaken him, slow him down so he couldn’t chase me when I ran.

And meanwhile, I screamed for Beric, even if it felt futile. If I couldn’t get away through the labyrinth, at least Beric’s magic could stop the king’s. And maybe then I could land a killing blow.

A killing blow? Are you crazy, Cali? You can’t even stand to kill a spider!

It was one thing to slice into the limb of a demon, but the thought of cutting into anyone, even this wicked man, felt unconscionable.… And if I didn’t kill him, if I only injured him, it would just make him angrier. I was used to my cousin as the enemy, who cared about decorum, even in her pettiness. I wasn’t used to an entitled man, who did whatever he wanted to have whatever he pleased. If my magic failed, he would kill me, just as he’d killed Kat.

Worse. He’d promised to do worse.

But I’d lost the element of surprise, and the king destroyed my next attempt at a shield. I turned and ran, but he dragged me back before I’d even made it through the adjoining hall.

He clamped his hand on the back of my neck, bending me forward to keep me from running. We both panted, now, our magic fatigued, but he was bigger and stronger than me, regardless. I tried to swing my arms, kick, twist away, but bent this way I had no leverage. Still I fought, until I was too exhausted to do anything but grip his hand, a feeble attempt to pry away his fingers. I stared at the stone floor, my vision blurring from tears.