She looked at him with blank eyes. Yes, she understood. She knew now that his goals of bringing the Evermore to Kichona had always been driven by greed, by his need for glory, rather than wanting what was truly best for the people. Because if he had cared about his subjects, he wouldn’t have been willing to throw their lives away so wantonly.

Hana was guilty, too. She had deceived herself as much as he had deceived her.

But she could still try to fix it. She could fight back, in the way her sister had taught her—with all her spirit and stealth. From the inside.

And so Hana nodded. She would pretend she was his loyal soldier, but she would destroy him from within his own ranks. “Yes, Your Majesty. I—I’m with you.”

“That’s what I like to hear. Tidepool, take care of this body. Virtuoso, show the rest of them to their new prison.”

“Why don’t you just kill us now?” Sora said through a sob.

Does Sora not care about her soul being damned? Hana wondered. Mama’s death must have been the final straw.

I’ll care enough for both of us, Hana thought.

Emperor Gin looked at Sora with disdain. “Because even though you’re a piteous mess of snot, you are more valuable to me alive than dead. I could always use more ryuu, especially one with the power of invisibility, as well as whatever magic your pet has. And at some point, your wolf will give up and drop that shield. Then I’ll have you.” He turned to Hana. “Virtuoso?”

Whatever emotion she’d felt at Mama’s execution, Hana had smothered it, at least on the surface. She smiled with steely coldness again. “I’ll take care of everything, Your Majesty.”

“Good girl. I have an appointment with the tsarina of Thoma.”

“I hate you,” Sora spat at Hana.

It was like a spear through Hana’s heart. But she deserved it. She had to earn back Sora’s love and trust, and she would have to take the abuse for now, until she could prove herself.

Daemon glared at Emperor Gin. “You won’t defeat the Thomasians easily.”

“Oh, but I already have,” the prince said. “Did you think poking some holes in my ships would stop the ryuu for long? The tsarina is a prisoner aboard my ship. Now that I have dealt with you pests, I’m taking her back to my castle, where I’ll summon Zomuri and offer him her heart. One monarch down, only six to go.”

“No . . . ,” Daemon whispered.

With that, Emperor Gin strode off to the other side of the island, where his ship awaited.

But Sora didn’t seem to care about the emperor or the tsarina right now. She cared only for what was right in front of her, and she glared through her tears at Hana. “How could you?”