The necklace around her throat was not of pearls but of teeth. Unicorn teeth, collected from long-ago battlefields. The breastplate she wore over sleeves slashed with gold was ghostly white and much thinner than the metal Claire had seen the Forgers hammer. It took her one breath more to realize that the overlocking links weren’t metal at all but shards of bone. Next to her, she heard Sophie swallow hard.

Estelle had guessed—had known—they wouldn’t expect her onslaught until tomorrow night. Or expect her to infiltrate the castle so close to dawn. She would sneak in, kill the unicorn, and use its heart to make her wraiths withstand the sun, and then she would attack Starscrape in the bright light of day, when absolutely no one would be ready.

Claire wanted to turn her head and bury her eyes in Sophie’s shoulder. But she was a Gemmer—maybe she could stop them from leaving this room. A tight pinch on the inside of her knee made her look at Sophie. Her sister shook her head ever so slightly. Don’t risk the crown. Wait. So Claire did.

Estelle didn’t say a word; she only nodded once, and the Royalists’ blue cloaks rustled slightly as they streamed out of the room ahead of her, like an announcing procession. In just a few seconds, Claire and Sophie would be alone, and then they could figure out the next step.

But as Estelle neared the door, she slowed, then stopped. “I know you’re in here, little unicorn,” she breathed. Claire and Sophie had only a second to react before Estelle whirled around and slammed the ram’s head cane into the statue of King Anders.

Chapter Twenty-Six

CHAPTER

26

The statue fragmented, sending shards of stone flying in all directions. The rocks should have knocked Claire unconscious, but Sophie had guessed—had known a moment before—and pushed Claire to the ground, rolling them away safely before Estelle struck.

Winded, Claire gasped for breath even as she tried to scramble to her feet. She still gripped the crown tight, but fumbled for her pencil. It had been knocked from her fingers and she couldn’t see it anywhere. She looked around, but all she could see were bits of rock, a few wooden splinters, and a torn leaf.

Claire almost choked. Her pencil—it had been crushed! But there was no time to mourn.

“Don’t move,” Estelle ordered and hit the flagstone floor with the cane. Claire suddenly felt her legs grow heavy—heavy as rock. Claire tried to call out to Sophie, but even her tongue felt heavy now. It was as though gravity had increased, and the stone heart of the world wanted to pull her into itself, like a magnet.

Claire fell prone, her cheek flat against the flagstones and her legs and arms seemingly cemented to the earth. A moment later, Sophie, too, collapsed, sprawling next to her.

They were trapped.