Page 125

Right now, Kiva was struggling to breathe at all, so his statement meant little. But she continued holding Ariana’s steady eyes, her reassurance strong and unyielding, causing Kiva’s confidence to grow even as her heart thundered behind her rib cage.

“If you don’t put those rings on in three seconds,” Navok drawled, “I’m going to need a new hostage.”

Kiva’s pulse skipped, and at Ariana’s quick nod, she put the rings on.

Ruby. Topaz. Emerald. Sapphire.

The Hand of the Gods.

“Incredible,” Galdric breathed, staring at her fingers.

He reached for her, and she recoiled, but he didn’t let her escape, taking her wrist and pressing her palm to his chest.

“Do it,” Galdric ordered.

Kiva resisted.

“Do it, or the boy dies,” Navok threatened.

But it was only when Ariana whispered, “Do it, darling,” that Kiva listened.

Praying she had read the queen right, that her own questions and suspicions from the last few weeks held merit, Kiva sucked in a breath — and summoned her magic.

The moment the golden light appeared in her hand, the rings came to life, the healing glow shining fiercely through them, creating a kaleidoscope of color — red, white, green, and blue. It was so bright that it lit the whole room, a rainbow blaze that Kiva had to shield her eyes from. Her fingersburned,the pain surprising and alarming. She would have yanked her arm back, if not for Galdric holding her palm forcibly against his chest, refusing to let her go.

And then it stopped.

The pain vanished, the colors disappeared, and Kiva carefully released her magic, the glow fading once more.

“Did it work?” Navok demanded.

“I — I don’t know,” Galdric said, his brow furrowing.

“Shouldn’t you feel it?” the Mirraven king asked. “Try summoning something. Fire, air, water, earth.Do something.”

But when Galdric concentrated, nothing happened.

He turned furious eyes on Kiva. “What did you do?”

“Exactly what you asked,” she said, her fear ratcheting up again at the murderous look on his face.

“You’re lying. You must have —” He broke off suddenly to glare at Queen Ariana. “You,” he spat. “You know something. Sarana was your ancestor — tell me how to make it work.”

Ariana looked terrified now — on the outside.

But Kiva could see the triumphant light in the queen’s eyes, something only visible because she was looking for it.

“Answer him,” Navok said, “or I’ll have my anomalies turn your children to dust.”

Ariana blanched, her expression making Kiva worry for a moment that she might have misread the queen earlier. But that same light was still in her eyes, the only reassurance Kiva had.

“You have to put the rings on,” Ariana told Galdric, her voice almosttooshaky. “They needed to be imbued with both Vallentis and Corentine magic, but you have to physically wear them in order for her healing power to transfer the elemental power into you. That’s how the Hand works —youhave to be the one wielding it.”

Galdric’s zealous eyes returned to Kiva. “Give them to me.”

Kiva did so, praying, once again, that the queen knew what she was doing.

One, two, three, four, Galdric placed all the rings on his fingers, staring down at his hand before looking back at Ariana. “Now what?”