The servant girl stopped at the door and tried to push it open, but it wouldn’t budge.
“It’s locked from the outside!” she cried out fearfully.
“Eden.” I motioned for my sister to step forward.
“Lochen.” The lock fell off, and we pushed on the door, but it was still latched. Furious at another stumbling block in my escape, I raised my hands and blasted the door right off the hinges.
“Stars above!” Eden whispered at the power I carelessly displayed, but I didn’t have time to dillydally; people I cared about could very well be hurt if I didn’t get going.
The tunnel dumped us into a small field west of the palace near the woods. The rest of the group ran for the tree line while I turned to Eden. “Please find Prince Xander. Bring him through the tunnels and meet me in the throne room.”
“Rosalie,” Eden warned as I struggled up the hill. “Dear sister, you’re not in any shape to fight.”
“And neither is Baist.”
Cresting the summit of the hill, I froze and my heart plummeted at the sheer mass of Florin’s army, easily five times that of Baist. From the palace window, they were sloped downward, hiding their numbers, but from my position I could see it would be hopeless. It looked like Baist’s army would be swallowed in a sea of red.
“You are the only one I trust. Go, hurry!” I pushed Eden forward. “I believe in you.” It was a dangerous mission I was asking of her, but I knew she could use her magic to protect her and make it across the field toward Prince Xander.
Retracing my steps, I made it back to the hidden tunnel. I had to use mage light to light my way until I was back in the courtyard.
Where are you, Allemar? He was the one I needed to find, the one I needed to get answers from, even if it meant I would have to torture him.
As I searched the halls, I could feel the subtle underlay of magic converging on one wall.
Here. There’s something hidden here.
Running my palms up the wall, I closed my eyes and felt the waves of magic—glamour, to be exact. Trusting my instincts, I reached forward, and even though I only saw a wall, I brought my hand down until my fingertips brushed the cold handle of a door.
I smiled. You will not be able to hide from me for long.
Turning the handle, I pulled the door open. Before I could focus my eyes and look inside, I was thrust into the darkness from behind. Falling, I tried to brace myself, but the door closed, cutting out the light just as I landed on someone.
“Sorr—” I began but stopped when my head fell back, my mouth open as I watched King Basil loom over me. He reached for my heart, his finger touching my chest over my paisley vest.
“What are you doing, my liege!” My voice was deeper, from years and age. My chest constricted and my heart beat picked up, racing uncontrollably as a pressure squeezed it. The king wavered before my eyes, the pressure slowly building in my chest until it burst and the pain stopped.
Trapped in the closet, so close to the body, I relived Peder’s death over and over, each time worse than the last.
The vision was debilitating, and I collapsed onto the ground. Peder’s death wasn’t swift, and I was paralyzed as he struggled to breathe, his lungs filling with blood, slowly suffocating him. It was worse than death, being this close yet unable to escape the confines of the cupboard and the vision.
It could very well be the end of me, if it weren’t for Magda, who opened the door and crouched next to me.
Magda was surrounded by light, a halo illuminating her as she pulled me from the confines of the cupboard. Her fingers dug into my shoulders, her eyes frantic and wild.
I was no longer touching the body, so Peder’s death vision had ceased, and I was able to get my wits about me and sit up. Magda looked behind me into the closet, and I turned and saw Peder’s crumpled body. “What did you see?” she asked, her face one of desperation.
“What do you mean?” I asked. She couldn’t possibly understand my gifts.
“Peder, how did he die?” She gripped my shoulders, turning me to look at her, her eyes glassy with tears. “I know you can see their deaths, see how they died.” Her