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TIYUNG

ROSE PALACE, GAYA

I didn’t realize how much there was to say until it all poured out of me.

I tried to remember every detail of my captivity, especially my conversations with Ailor, but I made sure to give Mikail his father’s message—that he loved him and he was the last thing Ailor thought of.

Well, I tried to relay it. My voice cracked with tears and grief, and at times I had to stop and gather myself.

Once I finished, Mikail stood and stared out the window, watching the funeral pyre burn.

Hana took over, starting from being purchased by Seok along with her brother, Nayo, to needing Rune’s help after she faked her own death.

Then she detailed our journey from Idle Prison to the Khitanese border and why we turned around and went back to Qali.

I described what happened with my mother and how I found Hana in Tamneki.

Then we explained why we thought to come here.

Together, we spoke for two bells. The others had questions for us, but really, surprisingly few, given all we said. I suppose we covered everything.

Aeri and Royo then told us what happened when they were sent to Khitan, the sad death of Prince Euyn, and all the places they’ve been since they fled from Quu Harbor. Neither Mikail nor Sora said anything.

We’ve all been sitting silently for a few minutes.

It’s a lot to process in every direction, but I can’t take my eyes off Sora.

She’s really here. She’s in turmoil, but she survived.

Her heart is beating. Gratitude to the gods for sparing her spills over in my chest. With every breath, there’s renewed hope for the future.

“So if what Hana said was true, Fallador was a traitor working for Rune this whole time?” Royo says, leaning forward.

Royo stares at Hana. I can tell he doesn’t trust her, but it is difficult to trust a spy who just admitted to betraying everyone.

“It appears so,” Mikail says. He retakes his seat. The only sign he’s annoyed is how he clutches the arm of the chair. There’s something off about him. For the first time, his hands are shaking. I think he’s in pain, but then again, he just found out his father was murdered in Idle Prison.

Household servants arrive with food and drinks. It’s a strange time for a meal, but maybe Gaya has different customs.

A pretty girl places a wine goblet and a plate of figs with honey and cheese in front of Mikail. The rest of the food is on trays and spread over the low stone tables. The servants then disappear as quickly as they came.

The six of us stare at the food we didn’t ask for. It looks delicious, and my stomach rumbles even though I ate in the market.

Mikail eyes his plate.

“Don’t eat that,” Hana says. She was watching all the servants as soon as they came in.

He raises an eyebrow and passes the plate and goblet over to Hana. She sniffs them, the tip of her nose nearly touching the gray stoneware.

“They’re both poisoned,” she says.

Sora finally moves her arm away from her head.

Her eyes are red from crying, but it still lights my chest with joy to see her face.

She sits up and wordlessly gestures with her hand out.

Hana gives her the goblet and plate. Sora sniffles twice and then gives up on clearing her nose. She takes a small sip of the wine.

“Xitcia poison,” she says. “A lot of it. It’s the type of toxin that causes euphoria before it kills you.”

“It’s in the honey, too,” Hana says.

Hana and Sora taste the rest of the food, but nothing else was poisoned. Just what was meant for Mikail. Their lost royal.

Kingdom of Hells, that’s somehow much worse than the staff trying to kill all of us.

Shock ripples through our group, and everyone eventually looks at Mikail. The tension claws at my skin, but his expression is neutral, almost amused.

His jaw ticks. “It appears I have some disloyal servants. Excuse me for a moment while I deal with this.”

The five of us sit silently as he leaves the room. He’s barely announced himself as royalty, and already someone has tried to kill him. I suppose I know better than most how people target those at the top, but this is particularly rapid.

“You’re alive,” Sora says.

I’m honestly not sure if she’s talking to me or Hana.

“Yes,” we both say.

Sora blinks, then focuses on Hana.

“I cried for you. I mourned you and prayed to the Kingdom of Hells for your soul. And you were alive this whole time.”

Hana closes her eyes slowly. “I know, Sora.”

“Not one word in two years. Not a letter or a hair ribbon to let me know you survived. Not even a blank card from Khitan, which I would’ve known was from you. Nothing to let me know you weren’t dead, no thought to release me from my grief.”

“Sora… I couldn’t risk it.”

Sora shakes her head. “You didn’t want to because I didn’t mean enough to you. I’m glad you survived and that Tiyung freed your brother.”

She speaks without any emotion. Her words are plain but cut to the quick.

Hana sits straight and absorbs the impact.

Her face is impassive, although her lower lip quivers just a little.

Aeri reaches over and takes Sora’s hand.

I want to do the same with Hana, but she did just try to sell me out, and she devastated the woman we both love.

Sora would never lash out in anything other than pain, but I feel the same kind of hurt that Hana does right now.

Sora has barely acknowledged that I’m here.

I didn’t expect her to run into my arms, but I thought she’d have some kind of reaction to me being alive.

Instead, she’s only thinking about Hana.

I try not to let that sting. Sora owes me nothing.

“Why come to me now?” she says. “You’d moved on with your new life and forgotten me. What is it you want?”

“I never forgot you, Sora,” Hana says. “I never could. But when I found out that you’d gotten swept up in the king’s plan, I wanted to help you. He’s still alive. We saw the Weian warships heading to Tamneki. One flew the Yusanian flag and another the Khitanese flag.”

The group all shifts around to face her.

“You’re positive?” Aeri asks. She sits forward, and Royo rests a protective hand on her back. “My father survived?”

I raise my eyebrows. Hana told me that King Joon was Aeri’s father, but it’s hard to believe.

There’s no resemblance, and I thought she was one of us.

In the end, she did choose to double-cross her own father, so I see why they forgave her.

It also makes sense that she has the ring and the amulet—only those with royal blood can wield them.

“We’re positive,” I say. “We saw the ships from the Coastal Road before they turned out of range of Yusan’s scouts. They were Weian warships, but the front ship flew a Yusanian flag. The fleet should reach Tamneki in a day or two, if they haven’t already.”

For my family, the war will be a disaster, as my father will be exposed as a liar and a usurper.

But the people of Yusan will be the ones who ultimately pay the price.

Over two hundred thousand people live in Tamneki.

It will be as bad as the War of the Flaming Sword, when Wei took their revenge on the capital.

It might be worse.

I’m thinking about the blood cost of men’s ambitions when there’s a sharp, high-pitched scream from the other side of the palace. It came from the direction Mikail went in. Alone. We all stand, grab our weapons, and then we run.