Trynne felt the ground beneath her had turned unstable. One wrong step and she would fall. Her stomach writhed from the confrontation, from the baseless accusations. “He did,” she answered softly. Then she turned to the king. “That part is true, my lord. He did offer to marry me. And I soundly rejected him. There is a struggle for power between Gahalatine and his Wizrs. He will not be controlled by them as other emperors were. His financial state is nearly ruined—”

“Only the Wizrs and the Mandaryn know that,” Morwenna said. “This proves you are in league with them.”

Trynne turned to her calmly. “I did not learn this from them. But it begs the question of how you know it?”

“She brought Rucrius to Kingfountain,” Morwenna said with a hint of triumph. “Wasn’t he the person who spelled everyone in the castle to fall asleep?”

“The spell came from a staff fixed atop your tower,” Trynne shot back.

“My lord, I caught her in my tower the eve we were departing to Chandigarl.”

“Enough!” the king said forcefully. He looked back and forth between them with growing incredulity. “You cannot both be right.”

“Brother, you must listen to me,” Morwenna pleaded.

“I have listened to you,” he said, holding up his hand to silence her. “The greatest gift from the Fountain is the blessing of discernment. I cannot pretend that I understand the intricacies of this situation, but I trust Trynne with my life. If she were in league with Rucrius, she could have delivered me into his hands. You have always claimed to be loyal to me, Sister. Now is your opportunity to prove where your loyalties lie. Choose well. Lord Fallon, arrest her and confine her in the dungeon.”

Morwenna drew a dagger.

Where she’d concealed it, Trynne didn’t know, but her magic screamed a warning at her. There was a look of utter hatred in the poisoner’s eyes. Trynne was about to step forward and block the king’s body with her own, hoping she was fast enough to deflect the dagger if it was thrown, when the weapon suddenly thumped onto the floor.

Morwenna’s eyes had cooled. “As you command, my lord. I plead my innocence in laying down my knife. I will suffer the indignity of a cell to prove myself to you. I knew you would take her side over mine.” She turned to the duke, whose eyes were wide with shock, and said, “Fallon, you know I’d never hurt you. I will go willingly.”

Fallon’s cheek twitched as he stepped forward. “Morwenna Argentine, I arrest you on command of His Majesty.”

Morwenna held up her hands to him, wrists held together. Fallon gripped her by the arm, not gently, and escorted her from the room.