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She snorted a derisive huff. “Custodis protected you.”

Surprisingly, I was uninjured, other than a few bumps and bruises. The golden light Victor had wrapped me in saved me from the blast. Idris hadn’t done the same for his queen.

“It was the same with Momma and Poppa. You were always their favorite. The one they looked after first.”

“Is that why you did it?” I couldn’t resist asking, despite her obvious pain. “Why you left me and sided with Idris? Out of jealousy?”

“That day at the portal,” she said, her voice rasping, “I saw an opportunity and seized it.”

I shook my head. “For turns, I blamed myself for letting you go—for not trying harder to stop you. I became a thief, stealing for the people of Carcerem, to atone for the chain of events my failure set off. It took a long time for me to realize that it wasn’t my fault.” I released the hand I’d clasped so carefully, letting it flop against her chest. “Guilt is a fallacy. It tricks you into believing you had control over something that was completely out of your hands. You’re the one who created this mess, Raelynn. You. It was your decision that brought you to this place.”

Tears filled my sister’s eyes, and she choked on a sob. “You’re right. I’ve made so many mistakes. Because I was a delusional little girl who believed she could have it all.”

Whether she was remorseful for her actions or not, I couldn’t tell. Regardless, I wouldn’t humor her after what she’d done to the kingdom—the lives she’d cost. “What matters now is what you do with that knowledge. Repair the damage you’ve caused. Relinquish the hold you gave Idris on Carcerem. Help us defeat him.”

Tears streamed down Raelynn’s blistered cheeks. “I can’t. When I realized he intended to replace me with you, I tried toclose the gateway between him and the arbor. And failed. It’s too late, and there is no turning back. Idris, the tree, and I are intertwined. The floodgates are open, and I am nothing but a conduit. I haven’t had control over the connection I created for quite some time.”

Explosions crashed at the front of the room. A ball of golden energy whizzed over us, slamming into the wall. I winced, covering my head. The fight between Victor and Idris had escalated. Fates save us, I prayed my mate was unharmed.

“There must be a way to fix this. Maybe if we tried to close it together.”

“Do you remember that lake Momma and Poppa used to take us to?” Raelynn asked.

“What? What are you talking about?” This was not the time for reminiscing.

“It was so beautiful there. I’d set my dolls along the bank and pretend I was their queen and they my royal subjects. It was such a pretty fantasy.”

Angry shouts filled the air, and another explosion of power prickled my skin. I didn’t dare look to see if Victor was wounded. Instead, I focused on my sister.

“Yes. It was pretty. And then I would sneak up and steal one of your subjects, pretending to be an ogre.”

“You were such a brat,” she choked out. “You threw my favorite into the lake. I waded in to save her, ruining my dress. When I yelled at you, you said, ‘A good queen must make sacrifices.’”

Idris’s infuriated shot rang out,“Custodis, you bastard. The throne will never be yours.”Yet another explosion rattled the walls.

In the chaos, my sister whispered, “I’d like my funeral pyre there. Next to that lake.”

“Raelynn, what do you mean?” Her burns, while extensive, would heal with the right care.

“I’ve considered all the options. There is only one way to make him pay for what he’s done.”

Before I processed her intent, Raelynn raised the knife she’d hidden and plunged it into her chest.

“Raelynn, no!” I grasped her wrist. Too late. The blade pierced deep into her heart. Blood gushed across her pristine gown, and she uttered a mournful groan.

“What have you done?” I cried.

My sister stared up at me. “A good queen”—she sputtered a mouthful of blood—“makes sacrifices. Tell Idris I’ll see him in hell.”

The light faded from her eyes, and her hand fell limp.

“Raelynn.” I clutched her shoulders, shaking her. “Raelynn, no. Not like this.” Tears soaked my cheeks, and a sob rattled my frame.

Beneath me, the floor rumbled. The tree’s blackened roots throbbed like an oozing wound.

Idris’s bellow whipped my head around. Victor lay on the ground before him, forearm braced over his face as though prepared to block a blow that did not land. Instead, Idris flung back his arms, his chest bowing.

“Raelynn, you deceitful bitch!” Spasms shook his body; black veins crawled up his neck.