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“I just hope Eleanor knows what she’s doing.”

I marched to the apartment door before I could reconsider. I wasn’t doing this for Eleanor—I was doing it for Zayne.

The door opened, pushing inward.

Inarus.The necromancer was entering the room.

I reached for my blade. This was the male who commanded my Brand. Instinct drove me to lift my weapon—

Yet he didn’t even flinch. He didn’t fear me. The black diamond sparkled while rot and corruption bloomed on the air.

I paused, and for a long moment, he studied me. More than anything, he seemed curious.

“You… you’re the one who traveled with the prince.” He wasn’t asking a question. “I assumed you were being transformed into a Shade.”

That he thought Zayne would just leave me—use me as a compass and abandon me here—unsettled me.

Inarus huffed. “Zayne was too soft, wasting all that ashflower on you. Now my whole plan is going to fail, all because you somehow hoodwinked my Gray General into branding you instead of Zayne.”

I tried to step past him, but he filled the doorway. If I tried to shove him out of the way, what magic would he use?

He squinted at me. “Only… now that you’re here, I see it. Maybe my general was right. You’re…brighterthan I expected.”

I blinked. “What do you mean?”

“Your magic. It’s strong.”

“I don’t have magic.”

He glanced at my underdeveloped antlers. “You’ve been blocked, that’s all.”

“Blocks aren’t a thing,” I countered, remembering Zayne’s surprise.

“Oh, they’re real—they’re just so difficult that nobody bothers. It had to be done immediately after your birth.”

“Not possible. I’m half-human, born south of the Rift.”

He shook his head. “Someone lied to you. And the longer we talk, the more certain I am—you have a deep well of magic beyond your reach. The Shades saw it, and I do too.”

I trembled. Was he right? My intuition believed—thisseemedright. His description matched my experience with the taproot, the tree growing around a metal barrier.

To accomplish this, Mother must have traveled to the Isles heavily pregnant—hiring a decoy at the palace while she met with a discreet sorcerer. It would have been expensive. Mother was careful with her resources.

Why?My magic had no purpose in Valterra, but she had still stripped it from me. She had tried to send me to the Southern Watch, moving me even farther from the Isles.

She was hiding something.

I raced through my shock, reaching denial and anger. A wave of emotions overwhelmed me—but they had to be dealt with later.

“I could help you break the block,” Inarus offered. “But I must help Eleanor first. In the meantime, try to avoid the barn.” He said it so matter-of-factly.

The old male shrugged and stepped into the room. I let him pass, watching as he went to the desk and picked up the black necklace.

I left him there. He didn’t chase after me—I had nowhere to go.

He called after me, “Tell Eleanor I’ll be back soon. If she can fix this, then I promise we will see what I can do for you.”

Zayne