I’ve struck a chord. “I know why Yakanna’s right sides are bare.” I move as I talk, careful to keep Taavi as protected behind me as I can. She’s frozen—her legs wobbling like stilts about to buckle. “I know why we wear jade in our armor. I know killing your own saisa and pinning blame on your coquella is disgusting.” Her eyes widen in surprise. She glares at the Chancellor, lips tightening. He glances back at her and she presses her lips closed, nostrils flaring.

Shit.

She didn’t kill Doile either…. The Chancellor did?

And she still stands with him?

“I know the Mother’s vengeance burns as hot as her pride,” I continue. “You gon’ get yours for this, Kai.”

“Is that a threat?”

“It’s a promise.”

The Chancellor moves closer to her, and Jhamal’s eyes flick in his direction. “She’s a liar, just trying to steal your inheritance. Can’t you see? You deserve that crown. Don’t let anyone tell you different.” He plays to her pride because he knows something she hasn’t realized: it’s her weakness.

“You like using that excuse, don’t you? Whispering it to people you want to manipulate? How they’re special and if they’d only trust you, you could help them be great. You have a motus operandi, I’ll give you that, Xire.”

His face reddens. He knows I know the secret he tried to burn away when he destroyed Totsi’s. The truth he scrubbed from every history class and magic book. The truth he killed and slaughtered for.

He glares at me. “You’re a dead person talking.” He shoots and his magic darts like arrows in my direction. I whip open my hands, whispering a spell, and a wall as transparent as glass oozes from my fingers, stretching tall in front of us. His magic slams into the barrier and fizzles out.

“Stay behind me,” I say to Taavi, but she doesn’t move, eyes darting between me and him, fingers pressed to her earlobe. Magic fires in my direction and I sidestep, careful to keep my barrier up, holding it like a shield. Their magic rains against me and my shield flickers.

“No!” I mutter the shield spell again… too late. Another assault from a cluster of daggers barrels into me and my magicked shield evaporates. His men rush at me.

“Yo lis.” Fire streams from my fingers swallowing a pair of them. But more skirt the flames and keep coming. “This way!” I pull Taavi along; she’s like a brick. Streams of energy fly around me, a tangled web. I dodge and twist, ducking as light zips overhead. My chest is heavy. I can’t win this only playing defense.

Magic streams through the air like a missile, and I raise my arm, blocking. My cuffs glow. They absorbed the hit? Oh, shit!