“The rumors of the condemned,” the king’s words weren’t much more than an icy hiss. “Sad, really.”
Aeson gave Felix one last crazed smirk, then turned and stormed toward the dais, slicing his sword through two guards, one after the other, who stood in his way.
Felix was after him in an instant. He snatched the sword off one of the fallen guards and took leaping steps toward his enemy, who was fast approaching the king. Then, in a single, instinct-driven motion, he thrust his blade clean through Aeson’s chest. The man’s borrowed sword clattered to the floor.
Felix pulled his blade free. Aeson’s lifeless body fell backward down the steps, landing in a broken heap on the floor.
The remaining guards swarmed Felix. One of them pressed a blade to his throat, hard enough to break the skin and send a trickle of warm blood down his neck, while another disarmed him and a third dragged him back down the steps.
The king was still up on the dais but was now on his feet, clutching the moonstone.
“Release him,” he commanded.
The guards obeyed, but kept their heated glares fixed on Felix.
King Gaius silently regarded Felix for a long, tense moment. He looked perfectly calm for man who’d just been seconds away from being assassinated.
“Well done, Felix. I knew Aeson would use this opportunity to make an attempt on my life.”
“And so you just sat there?” Felix sputtered.
“I was more than ready to defend myself,” said the king, pulling a dagger from his leather surcoat. “But you acted swiftly, and chose to protect me. You passed my test.”
The realization of what the king said slowly sank in. “Well, good then. So . . . now what? What does this mean? Will you pardon me?”
The king re-sheathed his dagger and slipped the orb into his coat. “I’m leaving Auranos’s shores tomorrow at dawn to set out on an important journey. You will accompany me as my bodyguard.”
This unexpected pronouncement stunned Felix every bit as much as a slap would. He grappled to find his voice. “Where are we going?”
The king smiled, but his eyes remained cold. “Kraeshia.”
CHAPTER 6
AMARA
KRAESHIA
I will find you . . .”
This is what Ashur snarled in every nightmare she’d had since leaving the shores of Limeros.
“And when I do, I will tear you apart for your betrayal. I will make you scream for mercy, but no one will hear you.”
She woke with a start, frantically reminding herself that no, her brother wouldn’t find her. Not ever again. She tried to focus on pushing away any remaining doubts she had about her new responsibilities, and what still needed to be done to fulfill them. Nothing else mattered.
Finally, her ship passed through the sea gates and docked at port. She’d returned to the Jewel of the Empire, the capital of Kraeshia.
“Welcome home, princess,” said a familiar voice. Mikah, a palace bodyguard, waited for her at the end of the gangplank. Like all Kraeshian guards, Mikah started his training at the age of twelve—after having been sold to the emperor by his parents—and had now been stationed at the royal residence for a decade. In a way, he and Amara had grown up together.
o;There’s only one little problem,” Felix admitted. “I have no idea how to make it, uh . . . work. As far as I’m concerned, all it is is a pretty rock with a swirly thing inside of it.”
“Yes. There is that swirly thing.” A corner of the king’s mouth quirked up. “It’s fine, Felix. I am one of very few mortals who know how to access its magic.”
Felix’s brow shot up. “How?”
The king laughed. “Never mind how. The important thing is that I have it now, and I have you to thank for that.”
“You don’t doubt its authenticity?”