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Mercurial grinned conspiratorially at me, placing a finger over his lips for silence as Rhyan retrieved the blue stone.

“Yes, Arkturion.” Rhyan stepped back, cupping his hand around the stone, pulling it closer to his mouth, his good eyebrow narrowed on Mercurial as if daring him to speak.

Mercurial shrugged innocently in response.

“Changing of the guard,” Aemon said. “They want you at the fortress gate.”

“The gate?” Rhyan asked. “I thought I was to remain in the Seating Room.”

“Change of plans,” Aemon snarled. “Go.”

“At once, Arkturion.” Rhyan replaced the stone in his belt.

Mercurial grinned, his smile feral yet feline. “Looks like someone isn’t where they’re supposed to be.”

“If you hurt her….”

Mercurial’s aura exploded from him, casting us in complete darkness. There was no starlight, no torches, only the fire in his eyes like two flickering flames. I sucked in a breath before he pulled his aura back, and the lights returned.

“If I hurt her, I do not make back my investment. You’d be foolish to linger here and insult me again, no what matter what lies in your blood and soul! Go to your post, soldier.”

“If you need me, Lyr,” Rhyan patted his belt, glared once more at Mercurial, and retreated.

Mercurial waved back, fluttering his eyelashes. Then he whipped back to face me. “Now,” he purred, “I have you. At last.”

“Let’s get it over with,” I said dully.

“So quickly you want to get down to business. Might we chat a little? First, I truly must offer my condolences on your father. I am so sorry for your loss.”

I bristled, willing my tears to dry. “I didn’t think the Afeya were concerned with the short lives of mortal Lumerians.”

His eyes brightened. “Come now, loss is loss. Do you not sorrow when a day ends or a flower wilts?”

My hands fisted at my sides, anger and hatred suddenly burning through me. “Or maybe you took a greater interest because last night, his own debt was paid. Is that what happened? He paid his debt, so now he could die!”

Mercurial bowed. “Releasing one from a blood oath,” he clicked his tongue, “messy business. The magic does not appreciate when its debt goes unpaid. And to release three blood oaths? But, of course, he paid with his life.”

“You killed him!” I shouted. I lifted a hand to punch him, but a powerful force pushed my arm down to my side.

Mercurial snarled. “He killed himself when he broke the bonds of the oath. I let him choose the language. He didn’t offer his life. He offered to leave the Seat of Power. The magic chose the way it happened.”

“You bastard!”

“Now, now. No time for that. I am only the messenger in this case. Enough about death. Something rather extraordinary happened last night. I fancied a chat about it.” He came closer, his hand shooting for my heart. “Something happened when you wore your golden stars around your neck.”

“My necklace,” I said, stepping back from his touch. “The akadim, they didn’t like it. It hurt them.”

“A piece of jewelry hurting an akadim?” Mercurial shook his head. “I’ve never heard of such a thing. Unless the monster was previously an icon of fashion and found some offense in the design.”

I narrowed my eyes at him, anger pulsing through me. “I think you have heard of such a thing. Why else were you so intent on me wearing it?”

“I had my reasons,” he said. “But like I said, I never heard ofjewelryhurting an akadim.”

“Then what did?” I asked. I no longer cared to avoid asking questions. I was bound to him, about to sign my contract, sign away my soul—what was one more question asked?

“Not the gold,” he said. “Not the shape of the star.” He held out his hand, twisting his wrist with flourish, and my necklace appeared, the starfire diamonds glittering and gleaming red in the firelight. Three of the diamonds had been destroyed in the fight last night, but with a wave of his hand, the necklace was clean and the diamonds restored. Each star gleamed, each diamond whole and glittering red except for the three in the center, the three that Haleika—that the akadim—had broken. Those were clear.

I eyed them suspiciously. “You’re almighty and powerful,” I mocked. “The First Messenger of Her Royal Highness, Queen Ishtara. And you can’t fix the starfire diamonds?”