“It may be some time before they return,” she says. “They do not experience the days and weeks the same way you do on the surface. And by then . . .”

I mimic slicing a knife across my throat.

“So how do I kill her? Please don’t say the arks.”

“The arks,” my mother replies immediately, and I groan.

“Well, the good news is that I kind of stole most of them.”

My mother exhales a surprised laugh and shakes her head. “For some reason, I’m not surprised to hear that.”

My answering smile is rueful.

My mother inhales. “Most?”

“I don’t have the ark of Heart. It’s with the Aurora King.”

My mother winces. “You’ll need it, Lor. And you’ll need each respective ruler to destroy their ark. Only the king or queen, or possibly their Primary, will have the strength to destroy it. If they are unbonded, they may still require the help of their Primary.”

I drop my head into my hands.

“Oh, sure. No big deal. We’ll just invite them all to a tea party and ask really nicely.”

My mother rubs my back, her touch soothing. “I’m sorry that you must be the one to shoulder this burden. None of this was your fault.”

“It’s kind of what I expect at this point.” I push out a breath from my mouth. “What if I just ascended before the Empyrium took me? Could I save Heart?”

My mother shakes her head, apology in her eyes. “You would still require an heir to pass the magic on to before they took you. You’d simply be delaying the inevitable. Plus, Zerra is an integral part of the ascension process, and it would make you vulnerable to her, giving her a chance to strike.”

I scrub my hands over my face. There are roadblocks in every direction I turn.

“There is one more thing,” my mother says, hesitating.

“Oh gods, what else?”

“It’s not a bad thing. At least, I don’t think it is.”

I arch an eyebrow.

“Queen Amara is rather certain that for you to have the strength to destroy the ark of Heart, you must be bonded, as you do not have a Primary yet.”

“Right,” I nod. “I suppose that makes sense.”

“The magic of Heart has always been the strongest, and as magic is channeled into virulence, it grows stronger to the point that the ark of Heart is nearly indestructible.” She spreads her hands in a helpless gesture. “What I can offer you is the knowledge that you will be vulnerable to Zerra’s sight when you’re near an Artefact unless you’re shielded by a large quantity of virulence to counteract it.”