“He did unspeakable things to you, Nor. He brought all of his suffering on himself.”

I nodded, more to ease his pain than my own. It had been difficult enough believing I had killed Ceren. Now I had to process his survival.

“What’s going to happen?” I asked when my tears were spent.

Talin sighed heavily. “Ceren is King of Ilara.”

“And you?”

“I am a wanted man.”

My head jerked up. “What? Why?”

“For aiding a criminal.”

I laughed mirthlessly. “Me, I suppose.”

“I helped you escape,” he said. “Ceren sent his guards after me as soon as he could speak. Grig and Osius came with me. They’re on the boat, waiting.”

“Thalos,” I breathed. “And the rest of your men?”

“Most of them didn’t know that I’d helped you. I can only hope Ceren spared them.”

Fresh tears filled my eyes.

“It’s not your fault,” he insisted, taking my hand. “Even if I hadn’t helped you escape, I’m wanted for ‘conspiring with the woman king.’”

Woman king was a moniker people attributed to Talin’s mother, Talia, who had fled New Castle after Ceren tried to kill her. She’d later given birth to Zoi, Talin’s little sister, who was the rightful heir to the Ilarean throne and the true woman king. “He knows she’s alive?”

Talin nodded. “I had sent word to my mother immediately after you left. For two days we believed Ceren was dead, and my mother and her forces were nearly at the Linrose Lakes. Then Ceren made his miraculous recovery, and everything changed. I had no choice but to flee.”

How difficult it must have been, to get so close to victory, only to see it snatched away. “Where is your mother?”

“She halted her advance once she knew she wouldn’t be able to take the throne uncontested. Some of her troops are in Pirot, and others are back in the south, waiting for their next orders.”

I took a deep breath, releasing it slowly. This was bad, but not as bad as it could have been. Talin was alive, and so were his mother and sister. There was still a chance to regroup and defeat Ceren.

“Does your brother know where you are?”

“Osius, Grig, and I were able to make it across the border into Pirot, thanks to the soldiers there. Ceren still believed Lord Clifton’s men were on his side. We lost Ceren’s guards. I assume he thinks I joined my mother’s army.”

I tensed at his words. “But he might guess you came to Varenia, which means you aren’t safe.”

“And neither are you.”

A chill ran over my scalp. “What do you mean?”

“He’s told everyone you tried to kill him. There is a price on your capture, and mine.”

I remembered Ceren’s face when I stabbed him, his jaw drenched in blood, his eyes burning with sheer hatred. Even before that, my choices had been to marry him or die. “Is he coming after me?”

“I imagine he will, eventually. He’s too busy preparing in case my mother decides to mobilize her army again.”

I nodded, but I was lost. What was I going to tell Governor Kristos? What was he going to tell the council?

“Why did you come here?” I asked. “Why didn’t you join your mother and sister? You could have had an entire army between you and your brother.”

“I had to warn you about Ceren. And I can’t go to my mother yet, not without reinforcements. Her army is large, but it’s not skilled enough to mount an attack on New Castle.” He took my hands in his, running his thumbs along my skin. “Besides, I needed to see you again.”

I couldn’t help smiling at that. “I’m not happy that you put yourself at risk, but I suppose I can’t be mad at you, either.”

His grip tightened. “Will you come with me, Nor?”

I blinked at the urgency of his request. “What?”

“I know you just got back, but we shouldn’t stay in Varenia. It’s not safe for either of us, and I fear by remaining here, you could put your family in danger as well. We’ll find more troops and join my mother in the south.”

I had already been preparing myself to leave Varenia to look for Sami, but only because I believed my family would be safe and I would be able to go on land without fear of reprisal. With Ceren alive, I no longer had those assurances. My heart began to race as my ribs constricted around my lungs, making it a struggle to draw a full breath. No matter what I did, the people I loved would be in danger. “Gods, this is impossible!”

“I know things look dire right now, but we’ll think of something. Together.” Talin pulled me closer, but even though I knew the gesture was intended to be comforting, I found myself more desperate for release.

I shrugged him off as delicately as I could. “I just...need a moment,” I panted, and without another word, I plunged off the side of the boat.

The cold water helped immediately. Within a few seconds, my heart rate slowed as my body instinctively prepared for a dive, and my thoughts began to settle. Talin was right. We’d figure out a way to fix things, together.

I had just closed my eyes to rest for a few more moments when a strange light flashed across my vision. I opened my eyes, afraid lightning had struck the water, but the ocean was gone. I was staring at a man wearing a dark metal crown studded with red stones. He was facing away from me, but I would have recognized his long white-blond hair anywhere. Ceren.

He was in his study, surrounded by vials and flasks. Slowly, he turned toward me, until I was looking directly at his face. His gray eyes widened, almost as if he was seeing me, too. And then I saw the blood on his pale mouth.

I gasped, inhaling seawater, and the vision vanished. I raced toward the sunlight above me, sputtering as I broke free of the surface.

I reached for the boat as I retched up water and bile, but my hands met empty air. The untethered boat must have drifted while I was under. I spun in a slow circle, trying to get my head above the waves, but I couldn’t see Talin anywhere. I ducked back under for a better view, and that was when the first hint of panic crept in. There was no sign of the boat anywhere.

“Talin!” I shouted when I resurfaced, even though I knew how easily sound could be lost on the water. Talin wouldn’t have left me. The idea was absurd. I must have drifted farther than I realized. The vision had only seemed to last a few seconds, but it could have been much longer.

“Talin!” I called again. There was nothing out here, no way to orient myself. Treading water seemed safer than trying to swim toward a boat that could be anywhere. Talin would have a better idea of where I’d gone than I did.