“Who said I’m not investigating my husband’s death? You might find it hard to believe, but a monarch has to multitask. Not to mention that, on top of all this chaos, I must be a mother to my heartbroken son, too.”
“What have you learned regarding the Lord Supreme’s death?” I asked, trying to move away from the initial topic. I needed her to calm down before I tried once more to convince her that we could work together without any form of imprisonment.
“I’ve purged the palace clean. All those even remotely connected to the Darklings have been taken to jail. Some were tortured. Not everyone survived. A small price to pay, considering I am now one step closer to finding out who killed Acheron. Well, discovering who put out the kill order, anyway. The Nalorean bitch was clearly the weapon, but the real murderer is the one who orchestrated the entire affair.”
My blood curdled as I briefly imagined what she must’ve put those people through. Again, I understood that it didn’t really matter to Danika how many of those she accused were innocent of any wrongdoing. She aimed to stir the entire pot and was willing to cause collateral damage as long as the culprits fell.
I feared the same predicament would await Valaine if she surrendered.
“Any suspects, in particular?” I asked.
Danika nodded once. “Yes, but you don’t need to know the details. My gold guards are still investigating.”
“I’m just trying to help, Your Grace.”
“Yes, yes. You’re so good and righteous. The problem here, Derek, is that you refuse to play by my rules. I cannot trust you unless you trust me,” she said.
“That’s absurd. We’re going around in circles here, and it’s hard for us to do our jobs if we’re running and hiding all the time,” I replied.
Danika smiled and snapped her fingers. “Then let’s stop going around in circles. Enough with the running and hiding, too.”
For a moment, I thought I might’ve gotten through to her, until I heard the door open behind me, and I was suddenly surrounded by a dozen gold guards, their claws out and ready to cut me to pieces. “You’re making a big mistake,” I told her.
“No, I’m actually doing something right, for once. If I’m to keep the throne, if I’m to secure my son’s future, I cannot let a bunch of outsiders walk all over me. You will all obey my rules. You will work in the conditions I assign you. You do not get to negotiate anything anymore!”
“Morfu…” My voice trailed off as a sweet-smelling gas filled my nostrils.
I’d seen this coming. I’d hoped it wouldn’t, but my faith in Danika’s ability to see reason had disabled my ability to accept her potentially harmful nature. My eyes rolled into my head, and I heard myself fall hard against the floor, the thud of my body echoing through the room. One of the guards must’ve released some kind of chemical in my vicinity. A puff of something that had literally knocked me out. Serves me right…
I felt as though I’d been turned to pudding, no longer feeling my limbs. I could see the guards gathered around, looking down at me. And I heard Danika’s voice. “Take him to the blue cell,” she said. “Make sure there’s no way for him to disappear again. Check every pocket.”
“Yes, Your Grace,” one of the gold guards replied.
“And tell the master commander I need to speak with him. It’s time he and I had a more serious and final conversation about his daughter,” she added.
I wanted to stop her. I wanted to reach out to Sofia and warn her, but my body felt so weak. My flesh simmered as the ground spun beneath me. I was floating, and it wasn’t a good feeling, not when I so desperately needed to be firmly anchored and conscious.
“Sofia…” I mumbled, my lips numb. “Telluris… Sofia…”
Sofia
I found Thayen in his room, crying by the window. There was a painting of Acheron leaning against the wall, and the boy’s fingers lingered on its gilded frame. It broke me to see him like this. No child should feel this kind of pain.
Walking slowly across the room, I analyzed every corner carefully. I listened to every heart beating around us. None were close enough to be a problem. Thayen’s was the only one resounding in my head with strength and sorrow. He was alone.
“Morfuris,” I whispered, revealing myself.
Thayen gasped, raising his head, tears streaming down his ruby cheeks. “Sofia!” he managed, though