Abisai
I enter the castle with the scent of my woman's blood still on my hands.
Levin intercepts me in the first hallway. He studies me from head to toe with that look he gets when he's calculating how much he can ask without me sending him to hell.
"We already made them talk," he says, falling into step beside me. "Your concubine?"
"Under Vacul's care."
Levin exhales.
"Your father found out. He's waiting for you in the private chamber."
"Did they mention any names?"
"Corin. He's the only one we got before one of them swallowed something and dropped dead on the spot."
I stop.
"Corin got them into Anwar. But to cross the kingdom's borders, he needed inside help. Someone who knew the guard routes, the blind spots, the schedules." I look at Levin. "That's not the work of a dead traitor. There's someone else."
"Thymá spent the whole day meeting with nobles. Formal gatherings, nothing that can be used as direct evidence."
"And Higmer?"
"Since you gave him that warning, he's been keeping a low profile."
"The quiet ones are the most dangerous." I resume walking. "Gather everyone in the armory. And no one is to be missing."
"Understood."
"One more thing." I stop without turning. "The concubine is dead. That's what everyone needs to know from now on."
"Prince?"
"You heard me."
I don't wait for his answer.
I enter the private chamber.
My father stands by the window with his hands behind his back. He doesn't turn when I enter. That's his way of telling me he's furious without having to say it.
"Close the door," he orders.
I do.
"Humans inside Anwar for the second time." His voice is low, controlled, which is worse than if he shouted. "An attempt on the future emperor's life on his own lands. And your concubine…"
"Dead," I say before he can finish.
He turns to me.
We look at each other for a long moment. He searches for something in my face — pain, rage, something to confirm that the news affects me. I give him just enough.
"Good." He steps closer and puts a hand on my shoulder. "In two days, you will be the emperor of Anwar. What happened today cannot happen again. It's your responsibility now. Yours."
"I know, Father."
"Then fix it."
He leaves the chamber without another word.
I stay alone for a moment with the silence and the weight of what I just lied to my father about.
Levin closes the armory door as the last of my men enters.
I look at all of them. They've been with me since before the throne was anything more than a distant nightmare. Men who have bled beside me, who keep secrets that could cost them their lives if they fell into the wrong hands.
"Sit down."
They obey.
I lean against the table with my arms crossed.
"What I'm about to tell you doesn't leave these walls. If anyone doesn't feel capable of carrying this, stand up now and leave. There will be no consequences."
No one moves.
Good.
"Zabina isn't dead. She's under Vacul's protection in the Amethyst Temple." I pause. "And she's not human."
The silence that follows is absolute.
Zymei opens his mouth. Closes it.
"She's a white dragon," I continue. "Of royal blood. The last one in existence. And there are at least two people in this castle who know. My uncle and my cousin. What happened today in the meadow wasn't a random attack. It was a message. They know what she is, and they want to use her before I can."
"Use her how?" Rumá asks.
"The royal blood gem can seal or break power pacts between clans, among other things you already know." I look at each of them. "I still don't know what they want with all this. Thymá claimed to have killed them all in the last hunt six years ago. Higmer saved her from being captured by the guard."
Levin curses under his breath.
"And Vacul?" Zymei asks. "Is he on your side?"
"For now. But Vacul serves the gods before he serves me. His advice makes sense — let her be presumed dead, clean out the castle, be crowned without anyone knowing she's still alive. Then present her to all the clans and claim the power of her gem. That way, I prevent them from wanting to sacrifice her."
No one says anything.
"No one wants to hear about white dragons. They're blamed for the greed of the silver demons," Levin says. "This is going to split the kingdom in two."
"Or unite it for the first time in two hundred years." I stand. "There's a prophecy. The union of a black dragon and a white dragon. The end of the war."
No one interrupts.
"I need Thymá and Higmer to believe Zabina is dead. I need them to act confidently, to make mistakes. And when they do, I'll catch them." I look at Rumá. "I want someone watching the Amethyst Temple without Vacul knowing. If anyone tries to get near her, I want to know before you take your next breath."
"Done," Rumá says.
"Levin, I need concrete evidence linking Thymá to the hunters. Not rumors. Documents, witnesses, something to support an accusation before the clans."
"Stema is still working on Thymá's wife. In two days, we'll have more."
"Good." I look at all of them one last time. "In two days, I will be emperor. And the day I am, none of this will remain unresolved."
The room falls silent as the last of my men leaves.
The door closes.
Finally, alone.
I lean on the table with both hands, lowering my head for a second. The weight of the day still throbs in my temples.
Then I feel it.
A burning.
I frown.
It's not a wound.
It's… something else.
I slowly lower my gaze to my forearm.
And I freeze completely still.
Silver symbols trace my skin in lines, small, glowing… as if they're alive. They spread from my wrist upward, marking my flesh with a glow that doesn't belong to me.
My breath stops.
Silver.
The same damned silver.
My eyes snap open.
"What… is this?" I murmur, not recognising my own voice.
The symbols pulse.
As if responding to something.
As if responding to someone.
And for the first time in a long time…
I'm not in control.