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"Fair enough." She went quiet for a moment. "Kenna's still in. And Valkan."

Something in her tone made me look over. "You're worried about Kenna."

"Wouldn't you be? Thatthingis in there with her." She didn't need to specify who she meant.

I wanted to tell her Kenna would be fine, but the memory of that darkness was too fresh to offer empty comfort. Instead, I watched the Void, silently willing it to give us Kenna next. And hoping that Valkan would never come out at all.

The other candidates had gathered near one of the stone outcrops. Theron sat with his back against the rock, eyes fixed on some distant point, while Mira paced in tight circles nearby. Their void burns looked raw, fresh—painful in a way that made my own skin itch in sympathy.

"Did you see anything in there?" Mira's whisper caught me off guard. She'd stopped pacing, lingering just a few feet away. "Besides the darkness, I mean."

I opened my mouth, but before I could respond, nobles began arriving in clusters, their fine clothing stark against the gray landscape. Lord Skaldvindr led one group, while Lord Sveinson guided another. Their quiet conversations carried an edge of tension.

"They're all here for the same reason." Rethlyn appeared beside me, his playful demeanor replaced by something harder. "To see what comes out of that darkness next."

"You mean who," I corrected.

"No." His eyes tracked the noble houses as they positioned themselves strategically around the area. "They don't care about Kenna. They're here for him. Valkan's emergence could shift everything."

"The Council's already divided," Vexa added in a low voice. "If he makes it out of there…"

She didn't need to finish. I'd seen how quickly the noble houseshad changed their allegiances since the conference. How desperate they were for any solution to their dying realm.

A figure began to materialize in the shadows.

Valkan emerged from the darkness with the same fluid grace he'd shown during the trials. As he stepped into the gray light, he wiped something dark from his lips. Blood. My stomach turned. Was that his?

His eyes swept over the crowd before falling to his bare arms. A smile spread across his face.

No void burns marked his skin.

"How is that possible?" I whispered to Vexa, but she looked just as confused as I felt.

The wordDuskboundrippled through the crowd as Valkan raised his arms, commanding their attention. "My friends," his voice carried across the space, smooth as silk. "The Void has chosen me. It required no trial, no demand, no sacrifice. I simply had to find my way back to you."

I caught Theron and Mira exchanging looks of disbelief. Their void burns seemed to darken in contrast to Valkan's unmarked skin.

His milky eyes found mine, and his smile widened into something predatory. He crossed the space between us with measured steps, close enough that I could smell the blood on his breath.

"I knew you were special," he whispered. Before I could react, he grabbed my hand, raising it with his own. "Look!" he called to the crowd. "Two Duskbound emerge to lead Umbrathia into a new era!"

I yanked my hand away, but instead of retreating, I held my ground. Something about his perfect smile, the way his eyes raked over me, made anger churn in my gut.

"Hello lovely," he murmured, stepping closer. "You look ravishing."

"Where's Kenna?"

A soft laugh escaped his lips. "So concerned for others. It's quite... endearing." He reached out as if to touch my face, but I jerked back. "We could be magnificent together, you know."

"You didn't answer my question."

"No," he agreed, his smile widening a fraction. "I suppose I didn't." He ran his tongue over his teeth.

"Did you find her in there?" I pressed, even as dread pooled in my stomach.

"The Void shows us what we truly are," he said simply, his voice dropping lower. "Some of us simply embrace our nature more... readily than others." His eyes flickered to my lips. "You will too, in time. Once you understand what we could accomplish together."

The realization hit me like ice water.