Smiling through my tears, I hug her to me and rest my forehead against her shoulder. I listen to her breathe against my hair, strong and sure, our connection shimmering between us like a lifeline.

“They’re retreating,” Prince Meilek says quietly. He watches his men flee, pain straining the skin around his eyes, his jaw clenched tight. To his sister, he is a traitor to his family, his friends, and his country: a prince without a kingdom, a truth that must rend him in two.

I suspect a part of him longs to join his men. Evewyn is where he belongs. And with Queen Meilyr’s plans in ruins, her wrath will be devastating. His people will need him.

I want to say he did the right thing and that I will help him however I can, should he challenge his sister for the throne. But instead, I say nothing. There will be time later to consider what must come next.

His gaze lowers to mine then, and when our eyes meet, his face gentles. “You did it,” he says.

The crowd around us grows as Prince Meilek helps Saengo and me to our feet. As I stand, the Nuvali and even many Kazan cheer. Their shouts of victory reverberate into the early morning sky. Some bow, words like “suryali” and “soulguide” passing their lips and settling uncomfortably over me.

I am not what they believe, and they can’t know the truth. Not yet. History has proven what the fear of a single craft can yield. Although I’m still coming to terms with what my abilities might mean, I have proven to myself the measure of my worth. Someday, I will prove it to them as well.

TWENTY-SIX

When the dead have been seen to, Nuvali servants escort Saengo and me to a private tent at the eastern edge of the grasslands.

They mention something about their lord, but I don’t recognize the name. Or if I do, I’m too mentally and physically exhausted to make the connection. All I want is to close my eyes and forget everything that’s happened this day.

There’ve been questions about the conspicuous absence of a particular Spider King. His servants and soldiers have already been rounded up for questioning. No one has asked me anything directly yet, so I’ve offered no answers. But it’s not something I can avoid for long.

By now, the fire will have been extinguished and Ronin’s body discovered at Spinner’s End. The staff is likely in a state of complete panic. Ronin must have had a steward to manage the castle in his absence, but how long would they wait before sending out falcons with news of their lord’s death?