A feeling beyond words stirs in my stomach. I am no mother and can’t be as long as I am a sentinel. I’ve accepted that—but looking at Tabrol and seeing the roundness of his cheeks and the soft way he fits in his mother’s arms strikes me like a sword meeting a shield. In a way, Prince Tabrol is the city’s child. He is our hope and our future. I feel the weight of his life press into my very bones. He is just a little boy. It’s unfair enough that he’s going through physical pain. It is impossible to comprehend the thought of his life being cut so short …

“This is our fault,” Queen Laianna says suddenly, with a quiet violence that shocks the room. The warrior in her comes surging forward as she turns to the king. “We should have said yes.”

“Laianna…,” the king replies gently, but heartbreak has taken hold in the queen’s eyes.

“We should have said yes months ago,” she says. “Then none of this would be happening.”

What is she talking about? I look at Hammond, my brow raised, but he avoids my gaze.

“Forgive me, Your Graces, but the prince should be in a room with lots of air,” Prena interjects. “I will stay with him, if you let me.”

“Please,” replies the queen, gaining some strength from having something to do other than despair. “Come. I will help you open the windows.”

The two go into the nursery. As the door shuts behind them, Renna turns to the king. “Should we send more teams?”

The word pulls me back to the moment. “The warriors-elect are ready,” I say. “I know you already considered it, but that was … before. They can take the oath another time but still be sent.”

“No,” the king replies. He sits on the queen’s bed. Bowing his head, he removes the gold circlet from his brow and shakes out his dark-brown-and-gray hair. “The threat of an attack has never been more real than it is now. If my son dies, the Heliana’s magic will fail. The city will fall and the humans will be able to reach us by sea.” He sighs. “They know we are weak, and they are fueled by the fury at our prior refusals. If they assemble their numbers, we will be overwhelmed. We must ready for war. Not a battle. But a war for our lives.”

Renna hesitates, but bows her head. “Yes, Your Grace. I will prepare the remaining warriors.”

“The citizens will need a place to go,” says Hammond. “We should empty the Keep below the palace. It is the city’s safest stronghold.”

The king nods. “Do all that you think is right. You need not wait for my approval.”