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Chapters (50)
  1. Praise for
  2. Title Page
  3. Dedication
  4. City of Mariit: Capital of Maynara Map
  5. One
  6. One
  7. Two
  8. Three
  9. Four
  10. Five
  11. Six
  12. Seven
  13. Eight
  14. Nine
  15. Two
  16. Ten
  17. Eleven
  18. Twelve
  19. Thirteen
  20. Fourteen
  21. Fifteen
  22. Sixteen
  23. Three
  24. Seventeen
  25. Eighteen
  26. Nineteen
  27. Twenty
  28. Twenty-One
  29. Twenty-Two
  30. Four
  31. By Order of General Ojas,On Behalf of Her Majesty Hara Duja
  32. Twenty-Three
  33. Twenty-Four
  34. Twenty-Five
  35. Twenty-Six
  36. Twenty-Seven
  37. Twenty-Eight
  38. Twenty-Nine
  39. Thirty
  40. Thirty-One
  41. Thirty-Two
  42. Thirty-Three
  43. Five
  44. A Coronation Prayer
  45. Thirty-Four
  46. Epilogue
  47. Acknowledgments
  48. Thank You
  49. About the Author
  50. Violetear Books x Bindery Books

Shocked gasps ripped through the room. Too drained to right herself, Laya plunged to the ground. Her ribs collided against the cold tiles. No one rushed to her defense. She howled in pain, helpless. She wanted to charge at Imeria Kulaw again. Wanted to claw the eyeballs from her sockets and tear her limb from limb. But Laya’s fall had jolted the fight out of her; she needed all the energy she had left to keep from bursting into sobs.

Imeria clicked her tongue at her. “Oh, Laya. I could beat you within an inch of your life, and still, you’d refuse to surrender. Your resistance is admirable. I wonder, Are your sisters cut from the same cloth?”

Her heart threatened to pound out of her chest. She imagined Bulan’s tortured screams in place of her own. She pictured Eti writhing on the floor, her hair streaked with blood. They were not strong the way Laya was strong. Whatever pain Imeria inflicted on them, they would not endure. Laya herself could barely survive it.

The truth came as a crushing blow. Fighting the Kulaws would only put her family in further danger. No one was coming to save them. For the first time in her life, Laya found herself cornered from all sides.

“Please, Imeria. Don’t hurt them,” she said, lowering her head in defeat. “I promise, I will cooperate.”

Imeria stared down at her. She raised her hand, and Laya flinched. Instead of striking her again, Imeria offered her hand to Laya and helped her to her feet. “Wise girl,” she said with a cold grin. “I hope you won’t give me a reason to regret making you a part of my family.”

Twenty-Six

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Laya

Laya’s mind was still reeling when the Kulaws’ guards deposited her back in her chambers. She was unable to overcome the dual sting of betrayal. First, Luntok. Then, her mother. Ariel had come to Maynara to produce a power-enhancing substance for the queen, and Laya had learned about it from Imeria, of all people. How could Hara Duja keep such a secret from her?

The pain from the discovery was almost strong enough to make Laya forget her new fate. She was to be Luntok’s wife. If Imeria had told her that days earlier, Laya’s heart would have sung in happiness. But once Laya knew the truth, the prospect of marrying Luntok filled her mouth with the taste of bile.

She had been standing at the balcony, wondering whether she ought to throw herself off the ledge, when someone knocked at the door. She ignored it. She knew who was waiting on the other side.

When she didn’t reply, the door creaked open.

“Laya,” Luntok murmured.

She didn’t turn around to greet him. He felt more like an intruder standing in her doorway than he ever had climbing over the balustrade.