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With the Shade army beyond, I couldn’t escape the stronghold. I needed somewhere to hide. In the corridor, I tried two locked doors. The third door opened.

I shielded my eyes from the bright light. I had hoped to find a storage closet, somewhere dark, with shelving to hide behind. This was a well-lit apartment. Enchanted fireplaces warmed the room, causing Gloom’s dulling influence to be weakest here.

These had to be Inarus’s apartments, for they reeked of his rotting necromancy. The central room was an enormous study. There was a bedchamber and a washing room. With his Shades working the stronghold, he would rarely need to leave this place.

Shelves covered the walls, filled with books and magical instruments. The room contained several stations: a workbench, a desk, and a meditation cushion. A crystal skull sat on a pedestal, cut from the clearest crystal. No inclusions marred its surface.

I turned, scrutinizing everything I could. An elaborate black ribbon necklace was on the desk, next to a letter. Despite everything, I was curious. Inarus had a supplier. There was more to this army than a single necromancer.

The letter was written to Inarus, but the original seemed to be in code. Inarus’s translation was next to the letter. I squinted at his spidery handwriting.

The princess must become queen. The collar will offer adequate control. Our sources have seen the prince in Port Saundyrs. We believe he is headed to you.

They expected us—or Zayne, at least. I searched for any mention of me.

An unremarkable fae accompanies him, consistent with your general’s report from the Rift. We do not understand why they pursued her.

At least they didn’t know who I was. The message was signed,Calindra, Lady of the Mer.I’d never heard of her, but Zayne might know what this meant.

“That paragraph.” Ninti jumped down from my shoulder and pointed with a claw.

Our calculations agree with yours. Gloom is expanding. If the princess cannot contain it, you need to increase your Shade intake. We estimate another twenty percent.

“I don’t understand any of this,” Ninti muttered. “Gloom’s power doesn’t work like this.”

I stared at the phraseanother twenty percent.More Shades meant more Brands. It meant more deaths.

“Eleanor might be able to end this,” I whispered.

“Something is wrong. That black diamond…”

“Do you think I should give Eleanor the ashflower?”

Ninti folded her ears back. “She might be able to heal you. She might fail. But her success seems more likely than you figuring out how to use the ashflower.”

Ninti’s cold logic settled within me. It matched my calculations; damned if I do, damned if I don’t. At the heart of the matter, my truth was that I didn’twantto trust Eleanor.

My grip tightened around the satchel of ashflower. “Am I a coward?” I asked. “First I ran from Mariana, and now this.”

Ninti sat on her haunches, patient and waiting.

At her silence, I continued, “Maybe I don’t know how to love, to trust. When I opened my heart to Mariana andCarson,I nearly got myself killed. Of course I don’t want to trust Eleanor.”

“Can you trust Zayne?” Ninti asked.

Zayne.His name shifted something within me. My heart beat a bit faster, the Brand beside it. “Trusting him takes more courage than I have.”

33 | Ascension and Absorption

Zayne

Inarus and I waited, keeping close to Eleanor. We all waited, wondering if the strengthened throne would be enough to replenish her. The crackling fireplace filled our silence.

Eleanor leaned against the throne, her eyes hooded, closing in fatigue. Her Brand appeared to be creeping up her neck.

I kept looking for Ayla, but I knew she was gone. We didn’t even say goodbye.

I should have felt betrayed. Instead, I found my admiration. I had been ready to sacrifice everything for Eleanor, and Ayla’s defiance inspired my thirst for life. I just wished she had stayed long enough to help me with Inarus.