Page 14 of Boundless

“It won’t let you leave.” Her every word rang true.

“I’ll find a way.” But when I turned around and made for the door, she stopped me before I took the second step.

“She did all of this. She tore her own soul in half. Even if the palace lets you leave, you won’t find it here when you return, and all of it would have been for nothing. Her sacrifice…allof us. We would all be doomed, and you know it.”

I would have laughed if I only had the energy to spare.

“Don’t you see, Raja? We alreadyaredoomed.”

“We’re not. Lyall is the rightful heir, andyouare already king, and?—”

“Andwhat?” I cut her off—again, speaking much louder than I wanted to. Much louder than was fair. “That’s just two courts. What about the Frozen Court? What about the Unseelie royals that have long been slaughtered?” She had to understand—there was no saving the realm. “The fae courts are already doomed.” So was Verenthia.

“No,” Raja said, raising her chin again, defiant. “Not yet. Lyall will be crowned king. You will be, too. We’ll find a way before you run off to Nerith—to whatever world you wish. That is how we at leasttryto save our realm.”

I stepped back. “I’m sorry, Raja. I can’t stay here, not yet.”

This time, when I made for the doors, she didn’t stop me. When I walked out of the bedroom, she didn’t come after me.

Soldiers lined the walls outside the doors. I was on the fifth floor of the Midnight Palace, with the throne room on the other side of the wide hallway, just around the right corner, and what was supposed to be astudy,a private chamber for the king with its personal library, and records of the court’s history all perfectly preserved—if I cared enough to read any of it right now.

The soldiers bowed their heads as I passed. The sound of the metal of their helmets touching their chest plates irritated me,too. Everything irritated me, and it would until she was beside me again.

I made for the stairs halfway down the hallway, near the corner behind which was the throne room. The archway there was engraved with ravens and swirls of smoke, and I felt the magic of it when I went through, but I didn’t stop. Iwouldn’t.

Except when I made it down a story, I came out through the same archway, in the same hallway with the same soldiers standing by the walls as before. With the doors to my bedroom, and Raja standing in front of me with a stern look on her face, right in front of me.

Something inside my chest twisted. Realization tried to settle but I refused to let it. I refused.

Instead, I ran down the stairs a second time.

And a third, and a seventh.

I always came right back into the hallway.

Nilah had told me all about how the Ice Palace had held her captive until she’d figured out how she was connected to the Ice Queen, but I still couldn’t quite believe it. I couldn’t believea buildingwould dare get in my way of her now.

Raja called my name, but I couldn’t even acknowledge her. My magic had gathered in the palms of my hands, so much more than I’d ever had before, and I embraced it. Called it forth. Wrapped it around my skin like a suit. With it, I planned to break whatever hold this palace seemed to have on me. Through my shadows, I was going to make it out.

Except even as I thought that, deep down, I knew. I feltit, only because Ididn’tfeel the palace at all. I didn’t feel its magic, and yet it had the power to do this to me.

With my shadows wrapped around my entire body, I ran again.

Down the stairs, over and over and over again. The same stairs. The same archway. The same hallway.

It was like my shadowsslidover whatever magic the palace coated itself in. They were no match for it.Iwas no match for it.

Eventually, I slowed down.

I sat on the stairs in the middle of the round staircase that took me back to the same place whether I ran up or down. I sat in the middle, out of breath. The rage that burned inside me kept shadows on my fingertips still, even though I could have sworn that I’d used every ounce of magic I could let out, yet it was still there. Still vibrant.

Raja’s footsteps down the stairs echoed in my head as she came and sat with me on the same stairstep. Kept her eyes ahead on the stone wall.

We said nothing for a long while, until my breathing return to normal, until my fisted hands stopped shaking.

Then I said, “Nilah,” because she kept forgetting. Maybe this throne and this kingdom meant something to her, but they didn’t to me. Not nearly as much as Nilah—and now I couldn’t even make my way to her?

“Nilah is not here right now, Rune,” Raja said, her voice ice-cold, perfectly emotionless.