I hold my breath, feeling the edge of the blade bite into my neck. It’s then that I notice my father inching towards Herric. He’s looking not at me but at Lor. I’m so used to my father’s mask of imperviousness, his cold stares, and his complete indifference, and what I see in his face makes me go still.

I notice a woman seated on his other side. She’s stunning, with long dark hair, but with those same vacant eyes of the dead.

My father glances away from Lor and then at the woman, and something breaks in his expression. I can’t puzzle out what I’m seeing. Who is she? I remember the scribbled phrases in his notes, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen her before.

My father slides closer to the lord while he and Lor continue to argue, and my head fills with static as I watch.

His gaze flicks to me and then back to Lor before everything slows down.

The king of The Aurora—the man who has never once shown me an ounce of kindness—reaches for Herric, yanks the ark from his belt, and then . . . tosses it.

CHAPTER 71

LOR

“Lor!”

Nadir’s voice cuts through my argument with Herric, and that’s when I notice several things at once. The Aurora King stands next to Herric with his arm overhead before he flicks his wrist, and an object comes hurtling towards me.

“The ark!” Nadir shouts, and I have just enough presence of mind to understand what’s happening. I leap and snatch it out of the air, opening my hand to take in the gentle sparkle of virulence carved with Zerra’s likeness, a relic of Herric’s betrayal. I feel its power and its connection as my magic twitches under my skin.

The ark of Heart. Finally, I have it. And this time I won’t lose it.

When I look up, Herric is alternately staring at me and the Aurora King, clearly not sure what to make of the situation.

Did Rion just throw us the ark?

I’m rewarded with a split second of surprise, but it’s all I need.

Veins of crimson lightning circle my limbs as the arcturite cuffs crumble off my wrists. I watch the pieces tumble to the dirt, and then I look up to catch Herric’s furrowed brow and the slight widening of his eyes as he realizes that he, too, has just been had.

The corner of my mouth tips up into a smug smile as I arch an eyebrow.

“Problem?” I ask, making a show of checking my wrists. “I think . . . you may have underestimated me. People are always doing that.”