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His gaze moved past me to Prisca. I was already gone to him. Already nothing more than a corpse. But sorrow glittered in his eyes when he looked at Jamic.

My son was suddenly stumbling toward me, his lost expression making him appear so young, my heart broke all over again.

PRISCA

My power slipped from my grasp. The patriarchs cursed, falling back.

And Galon…

Galon killed them all, his sword slicing them to pieces.

He moved so quickly, it took me a moment to understand what he had done.

My stomach swam. I was so, so tired of death. But they had already tried to kill Jamic, and he wasn’t yet crowned.

The Eprothan heir sat by his mother’s side, stroking Kaliera’s hair back from her face.

It was a bad death. Long black tendrils had formed over her skin, poison ravaging her body. She shuddered in agony.

But she died looking at the only person she’d ever loved.

Perhaps such a death wasn’t so bad after all.

The man beside him was staring at Daharak, whogave him a narrow-eyed glare. “What are you doing here?”

“Mother sent me.”

This was Pelysian. And he’d just calmly watched Kaliera die.

Daharak seemed to accept that, but her gaze darted between him and Kaliera’s body.

Slowly, Jamic got to his feet. And he was looking at Madinia.

“My power was not returned to the fae when they used the amulets,” Jamic said. “There is something… different about it.”

Prickles slid across my skin. Next to me, Lorian stared at Jamic as if he was now a new threat.

But Jamic was still speaking.

“Do you remember that promise you made me? That you would do something for me?”

Madinia nodded. “I do.”

Trepidation raked an ice-cold finger down my spine.

“Will you keep your promise?”

“Yes.”

“Then you know what we need to do.”

Jamic held out his hand. All of us stood and watched. Asinia, wrapped in Demos’s arms, Tibris, his hand clutching Herne’s. Marth, Galon, Rythos, Vicer, every general and several curious soldiers.

Madinia took Jamic’s hand.

And he led her toward Regner’s body.

I pulled at the threads of my power.