“What brings you here, my lord?”

Koth grimaced. “You’re like eight hundred years old. Feels weird for you to call me that.”

“You are still my King.”

I’d been avoiding looking at him, my emotions were shot enough as it was. And since no one else in this room knew Auryn—Saber—was my daughter I needed to keep that control of myself. Akecheta was a son to me. Eight hundred years as my daughter’s soulmate made him my own child in my eyes. I hated that he took the hit for me even while I was grateful and while I knew why he did it. My mother’s downfall was nearly as much on my shoulders as it was Tennessee and Tegan’s. I had to survive or their chance of survival dropped significantly.

As Koth crossed the room I took a deep breath and looked over. My gaze landed on Akecheta instantly. They had him propped up on that lounge chair I usually chose to sit in. The wound on his chest made me want to vomit. His long black hair was braided back, and I knew my daughter had done that for him, I recognized her handiwork. Her mother had taught her how to braid like that. She curled up in his lap, her legs across his and her face resting on his shoulder.

There were things I needed to say to him, to ask him. Things to discuss for this war. Yet I just stared. The words would not come. Somehow seeing my daughter holding onto her soulmate for the first time in decades on the cusp of my own soulmate being gone was too much. My eyes burned. That lump formed in my throat. I lowered my head and scrubbed my face with my hands.

A sharp whistle ripped through the room.

“Thanks, D,” Tenn’s velvety voice had extra gravel in it today. “All right, we have things to discuss. Where’s Frankie? We need to talk about her quest.”

Silence.

Then I felt their eyes on me, burning lasers on my face.

Tenn cleared his throat. “Everest . . . where’s Frankie?”

Tegan hissed. “She left, didn’t she?”

Yes, she left and I’m basically falling apart.

“Yes,” Mei-Ling answered for me. “Valathame sent Frankie a message.”

There were lots of curses and grumbles at that point. I looked up and found them all watching me, some of them with too much knowledge in their eyes. I licked my lips and sat back, leaning against the wall as I simply lacked the strength to hold myself up any longer. There were things to say yet the words caught on the hot lump of emotion in my throat, so I merely nodded.

Bentley gripped his Hierophant’s locket and narrowed his eyes. Orange magic flashed. He nodded.

Tegan let out a breath and pushed her hair back. “I want to ask you so many questions, yet I know I cannot.”