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“Do you want me to stay with you?” Myra asked.

Kallie’s small smile wavered. She didn’t know if it would be any better with Myra here. Myra didn’t know what Kallie had just done. If Myra knew, her friend would not be sympathetic to her woes.

Kallie looked up at Myra. She, too, was too good for Kallie. Kallie didn’t deserve her friend’s sympathies; she didn’t deserve her friend’s careful hands and comfort.

Kallie shook her head, and Myra, although hesitant, left.

Kallie didn’t want to be in her friend’s vicinity, not when she looked at her with such pity.

The princess who couldn’t stand the sight of a dead body, that’s what they would say. Not the princess who had ruined a man’s name.

Chapter14

GRAESON

“It’s done,”Terin said.

Graeson dragged his gaze from the waterfall and looked back at Terin, kneeling before Sabina’s statue.

The last time Graeson had visited the Whispering Springs, he had been with Kalisandre to help strengthen her gift.

Little did they know she would turn around and betray them.

He should have known then that there was something wrong. Meeting the gods was always draining, but being forced unconscious was rare when a gift-user opened themselves up to the gods. Few would pass out from it, but most could bear it if they were honest with themselves. That day, Kalisandre’s body had grown cold, heavy. Graeson had been foolish to ignore it, but he had thought it was because of her age. Most came to the springs when they were children. Even when Kalisandre had confessed to what the goddess had told her, Graeson had ignored the concerns it raised.

Now, he understood those words too well.

If the truth within is not found, then one may not find what one seeks. Find it and destroy it.

Before, he hadn’t been able to put two and two together. But now he couldn’t help but think that Sabina’s warning was connected to why Fynn couldn’t read her thoughts.

“You know, if my mother finds out you are doing this—”

“Esmeray doesn’t need to know everything,” Graeson said, cutting Terin off before he could finish, eyes blazing.

“She’s the queen, Graeson.”

“I am well aware of her title, but that does not mean she must know my whereabouts day in and day out, nor do I need her permission. She is my queen, not my controller. I am doing this for Pontia. That is all that matters.”

After casting Graeson an incredulous look, Terin stood, stretching his limbs after sitting hunched for nearly an hour in front of the goddess. He reached his arms over his head, the muscles straining beneath the tension.

Esmeray would be told that they had all gone to the summer house to help in their grieving process. After Domitius had destroyed the first home, they had not visited it for years. But a decade ago, the home was rebuilt. The four of them, Graeson, Dani, and the twins, had visited the house at least twice a year to get away from the noise of the castle. It was a plausible excuse, at least until someone came looking for them.

For Graeson’s plan to work, Terin needed to ensure that his connection to the goddess and his bloodline was firm. Unbreakable. And the best way to do that was to go to the source. The springs’ waters were infused with the gods’ spirit. It could boost a user’s abilities—if Pontanius or Sabina willed it.

But now, Terin appeared even more drained than he had before.

Despite the question on the tip of his tongue, Graeson refrained from asking Terin how he was doing. They hadn’t discussed the events of the past few weeks, for there hadn’t been time. But as Graeson took the time to inspect Terin, he saw the face of a man who was barely holding on.

Terin’s hair, which was normally shaved close to his head, had grown longer in the past few weeks, making him look more restless and unruly. A deep purple coloring tinted the skin beneath his eyes. And with Terin’s gift, sleep had always been challenging to acquire. But the heavy bags beneath his eyes suggested the cause was more than the effects of his gift.

Graeson had not wanted to ask Terin to join him, but he had no choice. He needed the prince. His gift was bound to be helpful, especially if Kallie’s mind was as warped as Graeson believed. Still, the guilt ate at him. Esmeray had already lost one son; she did not need to lose another. If something happened to Terin and Kalisandre’s mind was too far gone, the Nadarean line would end with the queen. As much as she thought of Graeson as a son, they both knew that Graeson would never be able to replace the twins. No one could.

When Graeson moved to take a step forward, Terin turned around, his head tilting up to the ceiling of the cave, crossing his arms over his chest.

Facing the other way, Graeson gave Terin a moment of privacy. He stared at the water rushing down from the cliff above them as the smell of salt and moss hung in the air.

He hated that he was putting Terin in a position where he was forced to keep secrets from his mother, something Terin never enjoyed doing. As a child, Terin was always the first to tattle on them when they would sneak out or get into the royal liquor cabinets as teenagers. Secrets were not his forte. Yet, Terin had always followed after them. To Terin, he believed it was his duty to be by Fynn’s side, to be wherever his twin was. But now his twin was gone, and they were no longer children.