At the sound of my approach, the maiden glances in my direction. Then she freezes as she recognizes me. I can tell that her gaze goes immediately to the scarred side of my face. A surge of fear comes from her, and I have to push down my desire to frighten her even more, to taunt her with my power. Instead, I just smile. She jumps to her feet and drops into a bow.

“Your Majesty,” she calls out.

At that, Magiano shifts slightly in my direction. He must have sensed my energy the instant I entered the hall, I realize—he must have known I was here. But he pretends to be surprised. “Your Majesty,” he says, echoing the maiden. “I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you enter.”

I flick one hand at the maiden. She needs no second urging. She scurries off toward the closest door, not daring to bid Magiano farewell.

Magiano watches her go, then turns to me. His gaze goes from my face to the water lapping around my bare shoulders.

“Do you wish to bathe alone, Your Majesty?” he asks. He makes a move to get out, and as he does, he rises halfway out of the pool. Water runs down his taut stomach.

I have never seen Magiano undressed before. My cheeks warm. I also notice, for the first time, his marking fully exposed. It’s a dark red patch that runs along the length of his side, where Sunland priests had so long ago tried to cut off his marking, an attempt to fix him. The first time I saw a glimpse of that old scar, it was the night we sat together by the campfire, when Violetta was still with me. I remember Magiano’s lips on mine, the silence surrounding the crackle of the fire.

“Stay,” I reply. “I could use some company.”

Magiano smiles, but there is a certain wariness in his eyes. “Just some company?” he teases. “Or mine?”

I shake my head once, trying to keep the smile off my own face as we both move to the edge of the pool. “Well,” I say. “You’re certainly better company than Teren.”

“And how is our favorite madman doing?”

“He’s . . . not healing like he used to. There are chafes on his wrists that are constantly bleeding.”

At that, Magiano’s carefree attitude shifts. “Are you sure?”

“I saw it myself.”

Magiano is silent, even though I know he’s thinking the same thing I am. Raffaele’s prediction for us all.

“And how have you felt lately?” Magiano asks me quietly. “Your illusions?”

The whispers in my head murmur amongst themselves. We aren’t a weakness, Adelina. We are your strength. You shouldn’t resist us so much. I look away and concentrate on the water lapping around us. “I’m fine,” I reply. “We will sail for Tamoura in a few weeks’ time, and as always, I want you at my side.”

“Invading the great empire of Tamoura already,” Magiano replies. “Restless so soon? I’ve barely had the chance to unpack all of my possessions.”

I can tell immediately that the lightness in his voice is not real. “You’re not excited. I thought the great Magiano would be intrigued by all the gold that the Sunlands hold.”

“I am intrigued by it,” he says. “And, apparently, so are you. I only hesitate, my love, because of how soon it has been since we were in Dumor. Tamoura’s not a weak nation, even after losing their northern territory to you. They are an empire, with three kings and a strong navy. Are your men rested enough for another invasion?”

“Tamoura will be my crown jewel,” I reply. Then I frown at him. “You still pity Dumor, for what I did to them.”

Magiano’s smile finally drops away, and he gives me a serious look. “I pitied them for losing their country. But I do not pity them for looking down on the marked. The fire in you burns as fiercely as it did when I first met you. You’ll make Dumor a better place.”

“When did your heart turn so soft?” I ask him as I skim the surface of the water with my fingers, creating tiny ripples. “When I first met you, you were a hardened thief who delighted in taking others’ belongings.”

“I stole from vain noblemen and arrogant queens. Drunkards and fools.”

“And do you miss that life?”

Magiano is silent. I can feel his nearness, the warmth of his skin barely brushing against mine. “I have everything I could ever want here, Adelina,” he finally says. “You’ve handed me what feels like the world’s riches, a palace, a life of luxury.” He draws closer. “I get to be at your side. What more do I need?”

But I have taken something away from him. It is on the tip of his tongue, and I can hear it as surely as if he’d said it aloud. Everyone needs a purpose, and I have taken away his. What can he do, now that he has been given everything? There is no more thrill of the hunt, the excitement of the chase.

Magiano lifts one hand out of the water and touches my chin for a moment, tilting it up, leaving a droplet of water to run along my skin. “I’m looking forward to seeing you become Queen of the Sunlands,” he says, his gaze wandering across my face.

What do you see now, Magiano? I wonder. When he first met me, I was a girl cast out by her friends, allied with her sister, intent on getting revenge on the Inquisition Axis. Now I rule the Inquisition. What do you see when you stare at me? Is it the same girl you once kissed by a crackling fire?

Gradually, an old, mischievous light appears in his eyes. I tremble as his lips brush against my ear, and I can’t help but think about the submerged half of him, flushing at the knowledge that I, too, am naked below my shoulders. “I found a secret place,” he whispers. His hand finds mine under the water, tugging on my wrist. “Come with me.”