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I offered him a tight smile of appreciation.

“The outpost,” Nyx said right away. “I’m sure Octavian and the King will want to know all you know.”

“It’s not much, but I’ll do anything to help,” Luka said.

“That’s all great, but I wasn’t speaking about Luka,” Jaxus said cautiously.

“What is it then?” I finally asked when he didn’t speak.

“I’m not sure the best way to say this…but I think that female healer is my ryder.”

His words went off like a bomb.

SIXTY-SIX

NYX

Ididn’t know if it was to protect me, but Kiera kept me in the healer’s wing for the rest of the night. She might have kept me longer had I asked, but I couldn’t hide from our fate forever. I had to report everything to the King and tell him I was taking my place as the general. There was no maybe about it anymore. I was taking it.

I’d barely slept, making plans for how we would face this new threat. I had so many fae to speak to. I couldn’t sit still any longer.

Octavian had given up his vigil outside the healer’s wing sometime last night.He was first on my list to see after I showered and dressed in my uniform, the one I’d had ready for two years but never worn. I wanted there to be no doubt as to my claim when I met with them today. We didn’t have time for power struggles.

We had to be a united front to win this war.

I walked into the council room, finding Octavian in the middle of a briefing. “What have I missed?” I didn’t approach the table and take my usual seat.Instead, I stood staring Octavian straight in the eye and waited.

He scanned my uniform, and I saw realization flicker in his face. His nostrils flared. “How good of you to join us, Nyx. We’ve felt your absence.”

So, that’s how it would be.

“My absence was forced on me when you decided I was too close to the flight on the front to be objective.” I didn’t move or back down.

“I’m sure you can understand that difficult decisions were being made, and you were too personally involved. But that doesn’t excuse you disappearing without a word.”

“I did what I felt was best for my ryder and me.”

“I see. Am I to take all this”—he gestured at my uniform—“to mean you have finally melded with your ryder?”

“‘I have.”

He nodded and didn’t answer for a long moment. “We will have to have Rakan check.”

I lifted my brows, overplaying my reaction. “Strange, I don’t recall any other pair ever being subject to the checking of a meld. May I ask why you think it’s necessary?” I wanted him to call me a liar here with witnesses. If he was going to drag his feet in stepping aside, I needed to build my case.

“I think, after all the struggle for the meld, it’s best to make sure it’s secure.”

“I’ll see what the King thinks. We have a lot to brief him on. Are you busy here, or would you like to accompany me?”

Octavian shoved out of his seat. “It’s only an update briefing. I guess it can wait while we discuss petty matters of succession with the King.” He wanted it to be a barb, but he clearly wasn’t getting that his time as Regent was done.

The King’s private steward showed us to his dining room, where King Viktas was in the middle of his breakfast.

He took in my uniform as he finished chewing. “Can I take this as good news about you and your ryder, Nyx?”

“You can?—”

The Regent cut me off. “Your Majesty, if I may interject? This is the worst possible time to hand over command to an inexperienced leader. We are on the edge of a war with an ancient enemy, and any misstep would see the Twelve Kingdoms fall.”