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I can feel Ravis’s glare burrowing into the side of my head, and I just know he’s going to hurt Kellyn some more if I don’t think of something quickly.

I shout the only thing I can think of. “Strax!”

From behind the dais, the head of the prince’s guard steps forward.

“Show them what your sword can do.”

Strax looks to the prince. When Ravis nods his assent, Strax calls a halt to the music, waves everyone off the floor, and brings out an assortment of guards for a display.

While he’s fighting about seven men at once, I explain to the nobles, “Watch the way the weapon shifts subtly in the direction Strax is meant to go. It’s leading him out of danger.”

I used to feel such pride when I would see Kellyn use his sword. But to see it in the hands of our enemy, I feel nothing but regret.

I can’t do this again.

When the demonstration is done, Ravis says proudly, “You can see why the schedule has been delayed somewhat. I intend to make our men unbeatable in battle before we start storming the territories one by one. We have scores of magical blades now with many more on the way. With victory assured, you can hardly pull your support now.”

“Hmm,” the duke says.

“When do we march?” Vanya asks.

“Three months’ time,” Ravis says.

“You have our apologies for ever doubting you,” Lork says. “This development is most exciting.”

“And perhaps I’ll have the smithy make a weapon for your household.”

“That would be most generous.”

“Do the kingdom proud,” Vanya says to me before the two depart.

And then another set of courtiers approaches, and Ravis makes me repeat the whole ordeal.

I suppose it gets a little easier to say the words after about the fifth time, but I feel my energy draining, each set of nobles carrying away a little bit of it as I speak.

I’m literally winning over Ravis’s nobility for him. I’m guaranteeing him more funding, rallying support. On top of that, I am making the weapons that will help take over all of Ghadra.

I’m doing all the bloody work for him.

I’m dooming all of Ghadra by myself.

I never knew I had such power.

A stupid sailor’s hat bobs in the corner of my vision. Kellyn’s got a glass of something in his hand, and he appears to be doing his best to charm the guards on either side of him. They laugh at what he says but don’t loosen their holds on his arms. He just effortlessly manages to win people over. He’s probably looking for openings to get us out of this. How does he do it? I can barely think as I try to block out all the stimuli around me.

When a new song strikes up, Ravis leaves, inviting one of the ladies of his court to join him on the dance floor. Someone asks Elany to dance, and she also leaves. I start to panic when courtiers try to approach me, but my guards fend them off before they can reach me. It would seem no one is allowed to speak to me without Ravis present.

Thank the Sisters.

I shut my eyes and massage my temples. It’s been weeks and weeks of bladesmithing and magicking. I feel my soul wearing down little by little each day, and I just want it all to stop.

But I don’t see how we can escape. The only way to get out of this is by stealth. We need to sneak away without being spotted. We can’t be followed. Ravis has too many men at his disposal, and if we’re caught, we’ll surely be overrun.

Maybe I could craft a weapon that would make us unseen?

But how would I do that when I’m constantly under guard, and any weapon I make with new abilities goes straight to Ravis? And if I started swinging a weapon around upon finishing it in anattempt to escape, the guards would slit Kellyn’s throat before I could get to him.

I need to make something that doesn’t kill. Something that won’t hurt Kellyn if he gets caught in the cross fire.