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“Why do you waste your magic with such foolish things?” Azura huffed. “You have so little left.”

But Leto didn’t stop. “I am simply granting him the same courtesy you gave Lady Fenmar.”

“Lady Fenmar was ascended,” Azura pointed out. “This man was not.”

“Asher Venwraith only joined this war to protect his mate—because he blamed himself for her abduction. He did terrible things under the banner of an enemy he despised. Perhaps he went too far in the name of love. But now he is dead, and the least we can do is show him the most basic respect.”

Grumbling under her breath, Azura waved a hand. The boy’s body instantly reassembled. “You always were the romantic.”

“You used to be as well,” Leto replied, then turned her head, listening. “I just felt their souls pass.” The dead could always sense the dead. “They were together—both happy to be free.”

“Satisfied?” Azura drawled.

Leto’s light shivered. She gave a stiff nod. “I will have the bodies moved to the crypt before the Lady Caro arrives.”

“Good.” They would only detract from the scene she had envisioned: Skye lying prostrate on the floor in a pool of his own blood with Vaughn standing over him.

There was just one thing missing.

Azura began patting down Vaughn’s pockets, producing a cloth-wrapped bundle from inside his coat.

“What is that, Majesty?”

“Just a little extra motivation.” Azura unwrapped the bundle, revealing a small viridian dagger with delicate swirls of metal and pearl swimming across the scabbard.

Leto glanced at Skye, then back to the Queen. “Majesty—I feel I must once again protest. We cannot undo what has been done, but if you’ll allow it, it would be my pleasure to dispose of Lord Adamaer. I will make sure he suffers appropriately given the nature and frequency of his transgressions.”

“As much as I like watching you work,” Azura said with a sigh, “this kill belongs to Taly. I know you don’t agree with my methods concerning the girl, but believe me when I say that this is necessary. That trick with the crystals was clever, but Taly’s still holding back, and I will not have that be the thing that gets her killed. She needs to know what she’s capable of.”

“But Majesty, the odds that the young Ma’am survives this trial—”

“Yes, I know.”

“She could destroy herself.”

Azura hesitated. It was true. That was always the problem with powerful mages. Pushing them to their limits inevitably meant endangering their lives, and today, Taly would be pushed to her limit.If she lost control of her aether for even a moment—it could consume her.

And this place.

And everyone in it.

Though at least that would finally take care of the mimic.

“Please,” Leto said urgently. “There must be another way to test her. If she fails, if Lord Adamaer manages to escape—”

Azura waved a dismissive hand. “Yes, yes, I know. We’ll all die, evil will reign, and so on and so forth.” She forced a smile. “However, that’s a problem for tomorrow. For now, I want you to move young Skylen over just a smidge. That gorgeous face needs to be visible from the door.”

Leto’s light pulsed, but she said nothing else as she moved to follow the Queen’s command.

“Perfect,” Azura said, taking one final look at the room. “Now, all we need to do is wait for our young heroine to arrive.”

Chapter 30

-An excerpt from the Essential Fey Survival Guide

Rule #1: Never piss off a time mage.

They won’t just kill you. They’ll do it creatively. And then, after they resurrect you, they’ll do it again. Over and over. Until they’ve decided that you’ve suffered enough to quench their thirst for blood.