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The night of the Rite, Calliphe is angry to find Sera there. Later, she walks in on Tavius whipping Sera and asks him what in the gods’ names he’s doing, acting shocked. Personally, I think she knew about the abuse all along—after all, she had a hand in it herself—but that’s just my humble opinion.

When Nyktos appears, she is one of the first to kneel before the Primal. As Nyktos pins Tavius to the Primal statue with a whip around his throat, Calliphe screams, rushes forward, and begs for her stepson’s life. She tells Nyktos that Tavius is the heir to the throne and promises he’ll never do anything like he did to Sera again. When Nyktos backs off, she thanks him. He tells her to shut up, and surprisingly, she does. Then, she watches Sera kill Tavius.

At that point, she looks at Sera, really looks at her, and sees what she has molded her daughter into by training her to become her personal assassin. Ector and Saion lead her out of the Great Hall.

Sometime later, after Sera leaves for Iliseeum, a guard tells Calliphe that Sera has returned to the mortal realm with the Primal. She doesn’t think it’s true but goes to investigate anyway. She ends up seeing Sera as she and Ash exit the Great Hall and stops Sera as she’s leaving, saying she didn’t know that Tavius planned to do what he did. Nyktos cuts her off, telling her she owed her death that day, and the only reason she still breathes is because of grace she doesn’t deserve. Calliphe thanks him, and Ash tells her that Sera is the one who requested she be spared—he wanted to take her to the Abyss with Tavius, where she belongs. He then tells her to spend the rest of her undeserving life thanking her daughter.

PRINCE TAVIUS †

Hair: Light brown.

Eyes: Blue.

Facial features: Handsome.

Personality: Cruel. Classist. Short-tempered. Arrogant. Abusive.

Habits/Mannerisms/Strengths/Weaknesses: Drinks too much. Womanizer. Holds little respect for those who put food on his table.

Other: Just turned twenty-two.

Background: Having a torrid affair with recently widowed Miss Anneka, a merchant’s wife. Betrothed to Princess Kayleigh of Irelone.

Family: Mother = unknown. Father = King Ernald †. Stepmother = Queen Calliphe. Sister = Ezmeria. Stepsister = Seraphena.

TAVIUS’S JOURNEY TO DATE:

Tavius enters my radar taunting Sera, something which seems to be a favored pastime of the spoiled Prince. He mentions that his intended, Princess Kayleigh of Irelone, is nervous about their wedding night, to which he replies that he’ll be gentle—just the thought of that gives me shivers. He goes on to tell Sera that the Primal God of Death is monstrous, and that’s why he’s not depicted in any artwork, adding that he has fangs and scales like the beasts that protect him. He taunts his stepsister about the blood kiss and says he knows she was under the tutelage of the Mistresses of the Jade; therefore, she probably can’t wait to serve the Primal.

Tavius stands next to his father when Lord Claus returns with Lasania’s Lord, who is now only a head, something that truly shocks the rotten Prince. It doesn’t last long, though. He quickly remarks that Sera should have been given to the Lord.

Sera found Tavius whipping a horse the previous week and gave him a black eye, threatening to use the whip on him. So, he decides to use it on her the next chance he gets.

When Sera arrives after checking on the farms, Tavius blames her for the Coupers’ deaths. He argues with her and tells her he can’t wait to take the throne.

When Ernald orders him to leave, Tavius throws a bowl of dates at Sera, hitting her in the arm. After, his father tells him that he doesn’t want to see him for the rest of the day and threatens him before once more telling him to leave.

The fact that the King still treated Tavius, at twenty-two summers, like a child who needs to be put in a corner amuses me. But what else can we expect from the pissant.

Tavius attends the Rite and alerts his stepmother to Sera’s presence. After Sera is attacked, Tavius situates himself in her chambers as she wakes. When Sera brings up her attack, he claims he had nothing to do with it and says he wouldn’t waste a single coin on her. Sera says that being called his sister is an insult, and it incenses him. He then reveals that he has her dagger—the one she usually keeps close. He pins her to the bed, telling her that the King died last night in his sleep—an ailment of the heart. He then adds that he is now the King.

I personally believe he helped that along. The timing of the King’s death was a bit too coincidental for me, even if it was a result of Sera using her gift to restore life. I’m just not so sure that’s the only reason the King died. But, again, just thinking aloud—or on paper, at any rate.

Sera insults him, and he spits on her, telling her he doesn’t believe for even a second that the Primal of Death will come for her. He adds that he’s always seen her, the last heir of the Mierel line, as a threat to him taking the throne. When he demands that she acknowledge his title and she refuses, he’s thrilled because he can punish her for treason—which he does graphically as he whips her.

When the Primal of Death reappears, he threatens Tavius but ultimately spares him, only to allow Sera to kill him instead. Ash sentences him to the Pits of Endless Flames, where he will burn until he’s freed, whereupon Nyktos will do much worse to him than Sera did. Unimaginable things.

Is it wicked of me to smile at the thought of what exactly Nyktos does to Tavius when he visits him in the Abyss?

PRINCESS KAYLEIGH BALFOUR

Once Tavius’s intended—a political marriage to be sure—Kayleigh becomes Queen of Lasania’s neighboring kingdom. But she also keeps company with some interesting friends, like Delfai, a God of Divination, which many thought had died out.

There’s something very intriguing about Kayleigh. Maybe it’s because I see the tie between her, Coralena, Leopold, and Poppy. It could be because she’s descended from the last oracle. But perhaps not. It could be even more I do not yet know.

Hair: Long, thick, brownish blond.

Eyes: Green.