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Laryk simply blinked.

"I'm his heir." The words felt both strange and right on my tongue.

Aether moved to stand beside me. "She will inherit the throne of Umbrathia and become commander of the realm's forces. All of us answer to her, and her alone."

Laryk was stunned to silence, his gaze raking over me with a newfound respect that made me want to roll my eyes.Perhaps we should have led with that.The revelation seemed to shift something in him. He was a strategist, after all.

He paced the room, attention focused on nothing in particularas he rounded the desk, placing his palms down on the wooden surface.

"So, what exactly did you have in mind?" All emotion had drained from his tone, leaving behind the calculated General I'd come to know so well.

Relief washed over me, but I didn't hesitate. "We need to destabilize Sídhe from the inside out," I said, matching his tone. "The Guard is unaware of what's really happening. People need to see the truth, to be given the opportunity to decide for themselves—whether they will continue risking their lives for a King who has done nothing but lie to them."

"It's going to be difficult with such few allies on this side of the tear," Laryk pressed.

"There's more than you think," I countered, glancing at Aether. "A resistance already grows in Sídhe."

Laryk's brow raised.

“Both civilian and those within the Guard. People who have been able to see through the lies."

“Is that so?” he asked, tongue sliding over his teeth. “And who is the leader of this rebellion?”

“They’ll be in contact soon,” I said, “to strategize."

"The strategy is clear." Laryk shrugged. "Whispers are dangerous things after all. Especially now that the blood-oaths are destroyed."

I looked over to Aether, who simply nodded despite the skepticism in his eyes.

"Placing doubt in the right minds, taking advantage of the frustration that's already begun simmering throughout the factions." He laughed. "I control the deployments. I can keep them all here. If you're true to your word, and no attacks descend on our Western strongholds, that frustration could easily be bent to something stronger. Something sharper."

He gestured around the room with his hands, almost flippantly.

"I can play my part—causing fractures in the foundations that hold this place together, turning loyal soldiers against the crown. That part will be simple—you can leave the specifics to me," he said, "It is, after all, my greatest gift. The art of manipulation."

I nodded, fighting back the hope now coursing through me.

"You can tell no one else. For my seeds of doubt to develop organically, you have to leave now, go back to Umbrathia, and wait for my signal."

"But Raine, Briar?—"

"You cannot tell them anything. Not only does it put them at risk of being named as traitors if things go badly…" He trailed off. "But you also have no idea who you can truly trust. I know they're your friends, but when it comes to matters such as this, you'd be surprised how fickle people can be."

A part of me wanted to fight back, to demand that they be told the truth, but something stopped me. I didn't want to doubt them, but what if he was right? I thought of Briar's odd behavior back in Luminaria—his possessiveness over Raine when it came to our friendship. And then I remembered how Raine hadn't kept my secret about private training with Laryk. Even if I thought I knew them, could I be sure of what they'd do in the face of their entire worlds being turned upside down?

Guilt gnawed at me.

Laryk paused, eyes fixed on something just over my shoulder for a few moments before his gaze slid to me, his emerald eyes growing deadly serious.

"You need to understand the gravity of what it means to overthrow a kingdom, Fia. It's not going to be easy. Difficult decisions will await all of us. But if we're going to prevail, we can never doubt one another. No matter what happens, you have to trust me. Trust that I'm doing what I must."

I matched the intensity of his stare. "I do trust you."

Laryk stood then, taking a few slow steps around the desk until he was facing me. In the corner of my eye, I saw Aether shift closer, but he stopped himself from intervening.

Those emerald eyes settled on me again, something sad crossing them as he reached out and tucked a stray curl behind my ear. "But I want you to know that I'm not doing this to save a realm. I'm doing it because you asked me to. Because it's what you want."

His hand lingered on my jaw, his fingers trailing across my skin softly. The touch sent memories of shivers across me.