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Before Maude could take another step, a blast of water slammed into her back and shoved her up against a wall. Maude hit the ground as a rippleof shock moved through the soldiers and her friends who were gathered in the hall. Struggling to her feet, Maude tried to work out why Herrick or Hakon would have doused her flames when she spied the source of the watergalder.

Hand extended toward her, with a sphere of water and earth weaving together over his hand, was her father. He removed thedalkr Helafrom his ribs, a smug smile appearing on his face as he looked around the perplexed group gathered in the hall.

“You didn’t think that you had found the realdalkr Hela, did you?” King Helvig said as he chuckled darkly.

Maude sat slumped against the wall as Herrick and Bryn were both immobilized by her father’s air magic. The General of Flame straightened and watched as her father circled them all, the unknown dagger in hand.

“Before my father died, I searched for a rumored weapon that was said to be found in the Kingdom of Light,” her father said, speaking to no one and everyone. “I found an old temple in Ljosa that had an exorbitant amount of texts on a weapon that could harness every element known to the Elven.”

Maude’s blood froze. She looked at Herrick and saw that he made the same connection she had.

“I read that a blood debt would be paid to those who tried to uncover this weapon,” he continued. “That great danger plagued the Knotted Caverns where this weapon was hidden to those who could actually move the weapon from its resting place.”

The hall was silent as they were all forced to listen to her father’s speech. Liv fought against the bonds that held her while Hakon listened raptly to what her father had to say. Gunnar looked about ready to fall over, his face gray with a sheen of sweat over his brow.

“There was no real chance that I would be able to remove the weapon on my own,” her father said, coming full circle and stopping before Maude’s frozen form. “So I waited. I married and had children.”

All attention was on Maude now. She could feel Herrick and Hakon’s gazes on her, but she couldn’t look anywhere except into the eyes of the man she resented.

“I raised my daughter to be a warrior; I trained her to withstand multiple forms of trial and to succeed in them all,” he said, placing a tender hand on her head. “I trained her in stealth, combat, and espionage.”

Maude didn’t even try to keep her face neutral. She heard the truth of her father’s words and let them go unchallenged. She had been trained in all these ways, but the purpose was never known to her. She was only a child trying to earn a father’s love; she never imagined she would become his weapon as well as his monster.

“I trained her for the day that she would one day face,” he finished. “I trained her to retrieve the Bone Dagger for me.”

Everyone looked to her father now, including Maude. He chuckled heartily.

“Ah, yes. That,” he smiled brightly, her uncle joining in. “This is not thedalkr Hela.”

He motioned toward the dagger in his hand, which felt like ice and was as heavy as a thousand suns.

“This is the Bone Dagger. It was carved from the bone of a powerful, ancient Elven who had harnessed every element. The use of this dagger grants the user control over all the elements. Very old magic. It allows me to override the limitations the gods have placed ongalder.”

Horror washed through Maude. She had never been close to killing him, after all.

“I spread the rumors of this weapon being thedalkr Helamany years ago in the futile hope that someone else would risk their lives to retrieve it. I trained Maude to one day retrieve it for me.” Her father smirked. “It seems the Kingdom of Rivers really does breed hopeful fools.”

The King of Flame looked at the group from Veter, his expression disappointed. His hazel eyes landed on Gunnar, who was looking worse with every minute that ticked by. Abruptly, the King turned to his General.

“Ulf, your Flame Assassins,” he began as her uncle smirked. “Their blades are oiled with a poisonous concoction from your own hand, yes?”

The General nodded, his smirk growing.

“Belladonna, isn’t it?”

The General nodded again before speaking, “It is a long-acting poison. One slice to the skin can inflict the wounded for weeks. Fevers, blood thinning, epileptic episodes…”

Her uncle trailed off as he looked to Gunnar and then back to Maude, his smile now wide and wicked. As if on cue, Gunnar groaned from where he was held in place by her father’sgalder. Helvig released him, and they all watched as Gunnar hit the floor, his weakness so advanced that he could not stop himself from slamming his face into the stone.

Hakon glared at her from where he stood frozen in battle with a Flame Soldier. Liv looked at her with suspicion but mostly shot worried glances at Gunnar. Maude could see from where she sat that he was still breathing, but her friends needed to get him out of here and find the cure for belladonna poisoning before it was too late.

Only Bryn and Herrick looked at her with any sort of understanding. They had all been played as fools.

Her father continued to circle them all, his captives trapped in the tight prisons of wind he had constructed before he stopped in front of Maude.

“I do hope,dóttir,that you choose your family over your infatuations as your sister has.” Bryn stiffened at his words. “It would be a shame to lose another promising soldier over the nonsense that your mother instilled in you both.”

He turned to leave them all in a battle for their lives.