Heartened by the small piece of good news, I fly for the palace. I cross over the Heroes’ Path, its walkway completely deserted. We’ve lost a total of nine children so far. If we survive the next days, I’ll find a way to add their names to the Path. Each one of them deserves to be remembered for much longer than their own lifetimes.

I find the other sentinels in one of the antechambers of the royal family’s quarters. A long wooden table stretches the length of the room. Pale light from the wall-to-wall windows eliminates the need for candles, even at this time of day. There had been talk of boarding up the windows, but the king said to save the resources for the people. He and the queen slept in the shelter of their own rooms, guarded throughout the night by both warriors and sentinels.

A small breakfast has been prepared for us, and I help myself to a plate. I take a seat by the window, the smell of the salt water below no longer something I have to really search for. We are sinking fast, a visceral reminder of how close we are to the end.

Still, the prince holds on, and so will I.

The king’s doors open, and immediately, we rise, though the king waves off the formality as soon as it’s done. I pick at my food as Hammond fills him in on the night’s news.

“No attacks at all, Your Grace,” says the Second Sentinel. “Our scouts reported activity near the humans’ fortress at the Cliffs, but nothing moving our way.”

“Welcome news,” the king replies. “With what Sentinel Renna assured me last night about our defenses, it appears we are as ready as we can be. Thank you all for your tireless work.”

“It’s our honor,” says Hammond.

The king turns to me. “Sentinel Shirene,” he says. “Would you walk with me to the nursery? The queen requested to speak with you once you returned.”

“Yes, of course,” I reply with only a small jolt of panic. The king may forgo the rules as he wishes, but I had only been the King’s Voice a matter of days. It still feels new to walk beside him, knowing I can speak my mind freely if I choose.

It is a short distance between the living areas, but I match the king’s slower pace. His dark blue robes are a stark contrast to my own white attire—a king and a ghost.