“I know. But, Lin – we were both hurt. I trust you now. You need this too.”

I drew back, wiping at my cheeks with the back of my hand. “How do I find the right people? I don’t seem to be good at finding them.”

She puffed up, as though proud to be giving me advice. “You make a mistake. You try again.” Her tail lashed.

I let out a rueful laugh. I wished it were as simple as Thrana made it sound. Maybe for her, it was. “A matter for another time, I think. Providing we live through this.”

A knock sounded at the door. I pressed my fingers to my eyes, willing the tears away. “Come in.”

Urame entered, her guards carrying a corpse behind her, a bag in her right hand. “We have the items you requested,” she said. “Sixteen of my household volunteered their shards, including me.” She held the bag out to me.

I took it, feeling the trust they’d bestowed in me, the shattered pieces of my heart forming up. I could mourn the loss of Jovis later. Now I had people who were relying on me. I had an Empire to save. I had an army to defeat. Sixteen was not so many, but I was clever, and I had defeated my father and his constructs. I could make this work.

Ragan slipped into my room behind them. “Eminence, sorry to interrupt, but I saw Jovis leaving. Was that at your instruction?”

I felt a prickle of irritation at his intrusion, and the way everyone turned to await my answer. I’d have to tell them at some point, but I hadn’t wanted to be pressured into it, not when my throat still felt raw and my eyes stung. “Yes, it was. He is no longer under my employ.”

The guards shifted, exchanging glances. I knew what they were thinking. Jovis had quite the reputation in the Empire by now. Most people thought him a hero, and making him my Captain of the Imperial Guard had earned me quite a bit of goodwill. Everyone knew about the magic he wielded, the way he could make the ground shake. The numbers of my father’s soldiers he’d defeated seemed to grow with each retelling. Doubtless they’d felt a little safer, knowing that Jovis was on their side.

And me? I was the Emperor’s daughter, the wielder of bone shard magic, the one people were still uncertain they could trust. I’d had to fight for the support of the governors. Everyone thought I had more power than Jovis did, and worse, they expected more of me.

I was tired of fighting.