We were three blocks from the palace when Sael found us.
He emerged from a side street, breathless and wild-eyed, two palace guards behind him. When he saw us, relief and fury warred across his face.
"Thank the gods," he said, then immediately, "You absolute fool."
"Sael, I don't have time—"
"I tried to warn you!" He grabbed my arm, his grip desperate. "I found out about the trap. I went to Edrin, got him to send an urgent message. I tried to reach you myself but you'd already left. Do you have any idea what I've been doing for the past three hours?"
"Maer's captured," I said flatly. "Minister Corvas set a trap at the warehouse. We barely escaped."
The anger drained from his face. "Gods. Is he alive?"
"For now. They'll use him as leverage." I pulled free of his grip. "But that's not what matters right now. Sael, they're coordinating an invasion. Rumanth moves on the eastern provinces in three days. The houses are profiting, the ministers are delaying defenses, and thousands of people are going to die if we don't stop it."
Sael's expression went cold and focused. "You have proof?"
"I heard Maros Welle himself. He was at the meeting. He confirmed everything."
"Your word against theirs won't be enough. Not for something this big."
"Then we make it enough. We go to the Emperor right now, tonight, and we force him to act."
"The Emperor doesn't grant audiences in the middle of the night."
"He will for this." I started walking again. "Are you helping or not?"
Sael fell into step beside me, the guards following. "I'm helping. But you need to understand, Ryn, this isn't just about presenting evidence anymore. This is about survival. The houses will come for you. The ministers will deny everything. And the Emperor..." He hesitated. "The Emperor doesn't like being forced into corners."
"Then he shouldn't have let his realm rot from the inside."
"That's exactly the kind of thing that gets you killed."
"I'm already marked for death. At least this way it means something."
We reached the palace gates. The guards there tried to stop us, but Sael's men showed credentials that made them step aside. We moved through corridors I didn't recognize, climbing stairs, passing through checkpoints that opened at Sael's word.
"How do you have this much access?" I asked.
"I told you. I'm a great house son. My family has... influence." He glanced at me. "I've been using it carefully, trying not to draw attention. But tonight, careful doesn't matter anymore."
We reached a set of ornate doors, guarded by four soldiers in imperial colors. Beyond them, I could hear voices. An argument.
Sael spoke to the lead guard. "The Emperor needs to hear this. Immediately."
"He's in council. No interruptions."
"This is a matter of realm security. Invasion. Treason. It cannot wait."
The guard's expression shifted. "Wait here."
He disappeared through the doors. Voices rose inside, sharp and urgent. Then the door opened again.
"The Emperor will see you. Briefly."
We entered a private council chamber. Smaller than I'd expected, intimate, with a long table and high windows looking out over the city. Five people stood around the table, and every one of them turned when we entered.
The Emperor sat at the head. Old, grey-haired, but his eyes were sharp and calculating. Beside him stood a woman I didn't recognize, elegant and cold, watching us with the kind of stillness that preceded violence.
And across the table, looking both furious and vindicated, stood Edrin.
"Captain Halvar," the Emperor said, his voice measured. "My son tells me you've been conducting an investigation. And that you ignored his warning tonight, resulting in... complications."
I met Edrin's gaze. He looked tired, angry, and something else I couldn't name.
"Your Majesty," I said, bowing slightly. "I have information about an imminent threat to the realm. An invasion. Coordinated by your own ministers and funded by great houses."
The woman beside the Emperor spoke, her voice like ice. "Bold accusations from a Warden with no authority in this city."
"Who are you?" I asked.
"Princess Theron," she said. "The Emperor's eldest daughter. And someone far less impressed by dramatic midnight interruptions than my brother apparently is."
Theron. The passed-over heir. The one Edrin played psychological games with.
"Your Highness," I said carefully. "This isn't drama. Rumanth invades the eastern provinces in three days. I heard it directly from the coordinator, a man named Maros Welle. He's been working with Ministers Corvas, Hallon, and Greave to delay border defenses while the houses profit from the chaos."
"Convenient," Theron said. "Except you have no proof. Just your word that you overheard a conversation in a warehouse you had no authorization to surveil."
"I have documents. Payment records. Witness testimony. And I can provide the location where the meeting occurred, the names of everyone present."
"Can you?" She tilted her head. "Because according to the report I received an hour ago, you fled the scene after assaulting palace guards. Leaving behind an accomplice who is now in custody."
My hands clenched. "Maer was captured defending against an illegal detention."
"Minister Corvas was investigating suspicious activity in the warehouse district. You attacked his men."
"Corvas is one of the conspirators! He set a trap because we're close to exposing him!"
"Or you're a paranoid Warden who sees conspiracies everywhere and attacked lawful officers when they tried to question you." Theron's smile was cold and perfect. "Tell me, Captain, why should we believe anything you say?"
"Because three days from now, Rumanth will invade. And if you do nothing, thousands will die."
The Emperor raised a hand, and the room fell silent. He studied me for a long moment, his expression unreadable.
"Edrin," he said finally. "You've been working with the Captain. What is your assessment?"
Edrin stepped forward. "Father, I believe her. I've seen the evidence she's compiled. Payment records linking ministers to a coordination network. Testimony from brokers who moved money for the conspiracy. Proof that the border raids were orchestrated, not random."
"And you didn't bring this to me earlier because?"
"Because I wanted to be certain. Because accusing your own ministers of treason isn't something you do lightly." He looked at me. "And because I trusted Captain Halvar to finish her investigation properly. Before she decided to charge into a trap I explicitly warned her about."
"I didn't have time to wait," I said. "The meeting was happening. Maros Welle was there. If I'd waited, we would've lost the chance."
"And instead you lost a man and gained nothing but more accusations." Edrin's voice was sharp. "I tried to help you, Ryn. I sent warnings. I offered protection. And you ignored all of it because you can't stand the thought of needing anyone."
"This isn't about me needing you—"
"Isn't it? Because from where I'm standing, you've been so determined to do this alone that you've compromised everything. Your investigation, your safety, your people."
The words hit like blows, each one landing because they were partially true.
Theron watched the exchange with obvious interest. "How touching. The prince and the Warden, fighting over jurisdiction. But none of this addresses the actual question. Do we have sufficient proof to act?"
The Emperor looked at me. "Captain. You claim an invasion in three days. Can you provide concrete evidence? Documents? Correspondence? Something beyond your testimony?"
"I have payment records. Coded ledgers. Testimony from brokers. And I can take you to the warehouse where the meeting occurred."
"All of which could be fabricated or misinterpreted." He leaned back in his chair. "You're asking me to mobilize defenses, accuse my own ministers, potentially start a diplomatic crisis with Rumanth, all based on investigation conducted without official sanction."
"I'm asking you to protect your realm."
"You're asking me to trust you. And I don't know you, Captain Halvar."
Sael stepped forward. "Your Majesty, I can vouch for her investigation. I've been assisting, providing resources and verification. The evidence is real."
"And you are?" the Emperor asked.
"Sael Varr. House Theylan. Second son."
Something shifted in the room. Theron's eyes narrowed. The Emperor's expression hardened slightly.
"House Theylan," he repeated. "The same house currently negotiating trade agreements with Rumanth."
"Yes, Your Majesty. Which is why I've been investigating their involvement in border destabilization. My house stands to profit if the eastern provinces fall. I couldn't allow that to happen."
"How noble," Theron said. "Or how convenient. Positioning yourself as a hero while your family benefits either way."
"My family doesn't speak for me. And I don't speak for them."
The Emperor was quiet for a long moment. Then he stood.
"Captain Halvar. You will remain in the palace tonight, under guard, while I verify your claims. Edrin, you will assist. Compile everything you have, every document, every witness, every piece of evidence that supports this invasion claim."
"And the ministers?" I asked.
"Will be questioned. Carefully. If your accusations are true, we'll know soon enough. If they're not..." He looked at me coldly. "Then you'll answer for wasting my time and attacking my officers."
"And the defenses? If Rumanth really is moving—"
"I will not mobilize the realm's military on the word of one Warden. But I will put border garrisons on alert. Quietly. If an invasion comes, we'll be ready. If it doesn't, you'll wish you'd never come to Cerasis."
It wasn't enough. But it was something.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
"Don't thank me yet, Captain. You've made very serious accusations. If you're wrong, if this is paranoia or ambition or a personal vendetta, I will destroy you. Do you understand?"
"I understand."
"Good. Guards, escort her to a secure room. Edrin, with me. We have work to do."
The guards moved forward. I didn't resist as they led me from the chamber, Joss following close behind. As we left, I heard Theron's voice, soft and amused.
"Well. This should be interesting."
They put us in a suite in the palace's east wing. Comfortable, by any standard. But the guards outside made it clear we weren't guests.
We were prisoners.
Joss sat by the window, watching the city below. I paced, unable to stand still, my mind racing through everything that had happened.
Maer was captured. The Emperor didn't believe me. Edrin was furious. And I had three days to prove an invasion was coming before it was too late.
A knock at the door interrupted my thoughts.
"Enter," I said.
Edrin stepped inside, alone. He closed the door behind him and looked at me with an expression I couldn't read.
"I'm supposed to be compiling evidence," he said. "Instead, I'm here. Do you know why?"
"To gloat?"
"To understand." He crossed the room, stopping just in front of me. "I gave you everything you needed. Protection. Resources. Warnings. And you threw it all back in my face. Why?"
"Because I don't need you."
"Yes, you do. You just can't admit it." His hand came up, fingers brushing my jaw. "You're so determined to do everything alone that you can't see when someone is actually trying to help you."
I caught his wrist, but this time I didn't push him away immediately. I was too tired, too frustrated, too aware that he was partially right.
"What do you want, Edrin?"
"The same thing I've always wanted. To help you finish this. To make sure you survive it. To..." He paused. "To keep you."
"You can't keep people."
"No. But you can give them reasons to stay." He stepped closer, his other hand rising to frame my face. "Stay in Cerasis, Ryn. After this is over, after we've stopped the invasion and exposed the conspiracy, stay. Accept the position I know my father will offer. Become someone with real power, real authority."
"And what do you get?"
"You. Here. Where I can see you, work with you, protect you." His thumb brushed across my cheekbone. "Where you don't disappear back to some frozen garrison and get yourself killed by the next crisis."
"That's not your choice to make."
"No. But I can offer you something worth staying for." He leaned closer, his breath warm against my skin. "Power. Position. The ability to actually change things instead of just fighting losing battles. And..."
"And?"
"Me." He said it simply, without artifice. "I'm offering myself. Not as a prince, not as a political ally, but as someone who sees you. Who understands what drives you. Who wants you despite, or maybe because of, how impossible you are."
His lips were close now, close enough that I could feel the heat of him, smell the wine and smoke that clung to his clothes.
"I'm not what you think I am," I said quietly.
"I know exactly what you are. Damaged. Stubborn. Self-destructive. And remarkable." His mouth brushed mine, barely a kiss. "Say yes, Ryn. Stay in Cerasis. Let me help you become more than just a Warden dying for causes that don't care if you survive."
For one moment, I almost did.
Almost leaned into it, accepted the offer, let someone else shoulder some of the weight.
Then I thought of Maer, captured because I'd pushed too hard. Of Harven, dead on a frozen road. Of my parents, burned while I hid.
I pushed Edrin back, gentle but firm.
"No."
His expression shifted. Not anger, exactly. Something colder.
"You're making a mistake."
"Probably. But it's mine to make."
He stared at me for a long moment. Then he straightened his coat and walked to the door.
"The Emperor will make his offer in a few days. After we verify the invasion, after we've secured the realm. He'll give you the authority you've been fighting for, the power to actually fix things." He paused, hand on the door. "And when he does, remember that I tried to give you something more. Something that wasn't just duty."
"Edrin—"
"Save it, Captain. You've made your choice. Now live with it."
He left, the door closing with soft finality.
I stood alone in the suite, the weight of refused offers and impossible choices pressing down like stones.
Three days until invasion.
Three days to prove I was right.
Three days to save Maer, stop the conspiracy, and somehow keep everyone from dying.
I walked to the window and looked out at the city, at the lights burning in the darkness.
Somewhere out there, Maer was being held. Somewhere, Maros Welle was moving pieces. Somewhere, an army was preparing to cross the border.
And I was locked in a palace room, waiting for permission to save people who didn't even know they were in danger.
I pressed my hand against the glass and made a promise.
I would finish this.
No matter what it cost.
No matter who I lost.
I would finish it.