My heart sank. “Do Chenda and Hristo know?”

“They were present when the news came. They know.”

I didn’t ask if they were all right.

Ilina motioned toward the washroom. “I’ll tell Alusha you want a meeting with Empress Apolla, and you take care of yourself in there. You may have needed four days to recover from that noorestone, but it didn’t do your breath any favors.”

I winced, but she was right. My mouth tasted disgusting.

After following Ilina’s orders, I headed into the public parlor, where Aaru and Hristo sat on a bench, both dragons playing between them. In the entry hall, Ilina spoke with someone in low, urgent tones.

At my entrance, Hristo and Aaru stood. My guard hugged me first.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I just heard about Harta.”

He gave me a squeeze and nodded, and then Aaru’s arms were around me.

“I heard it coming.” He drew a heavy breath. “The noorestone.”

Of course he had.

“I should have silenced it right away.”

Oh.

“You couldn’t have known what would happen.”

“I did know. I just couldn’t. It was so loud I couldn’t—” His face twisted with pain.

I understood. And I couldn’t reassure him, because three thousand lives had been lost. It didn’t matter that they belonged to the Algotti Empire, that they were supposedly our oldest enemy, or that we’d recently thought they’d quietly conquered the Fallen Isles. They were people, like us. They’d been attacked. And we hadn’t been able to save them.

Reassurance would only feel like saying that the ones who died didn’t matter, and they deserved more than lies we told ourselves to feel better.

“How did you finally do it?” I asked.

“You.” He licked his lips. “I knew what you were doing. I knew if I didn’t help, you might not survive.”

“Thank you.” The words were inadequate, but I didn’t know what else to say.

“Mira?” Ilina started in from the entry hall. “Empress Apolla is ready to see you.”

Before I could go, though, Aaru took my hand and squeezed. He didn’t speak aloud; his warning came quickly against my fingers: ::Careful. I overheard what she said while you were unconscious. She knows about your dragon soul.::

CHAPTER THIRTY

EMPRESS APOLLA WASN’T IN HER THRONE ROOM.

Instead, I was escorted onto the imperial barge, surrounded by a small army of the empress’s personal guards, and taken up the River Akron. It was faster than the carriage had been and offered a different view of the mansions and courtyards of Sunder. It had no view whatsoever of the damage done by the giant noorestone.

From here, Sunder was still the portrait of beauty, wealth, and elegance. Even after the attack, Apolla wanted to impress me.

Or remind me of her power.

While I waited to arrive, I was given a lavish breakfast of sausage, eggs, orange slices, and tea thick with honey. I ate everything, hungry after sleeping for four days, but tasted very little. No matter how Apolla tried to win me, I couldn’t forget that she was an empress first. She commanded armies and conquered kingdoms. If she knew about my dragon soul, as Aaru believed, then surely she would seek to use my ability the same way the Luminary Council had used my voice.