“I broke the blood bond. Ceren fled. We need to tell your mother right away.”

He nodded and kissed the top of my head. “Of course. Let’s get you back to your family.”

“My father,” I said. “He’s still in the dungeon. Someone needs to free him.”

“I’ll see to it as soon as we’re back at Old Castle.”

“No, it can’t wait that long.”

“Nor.” He smoothed my hair from my face. “You’re trembling, love. You’re in shock. Your father will be all right for a little while longer. Right now, we need to take care of you.”

I was too exhausted to argue. I let him lift me onto Xander, and when he climbed up behind me, I slumped against him, struggling to remain conscious. I was asleep before we left the battlefield.

* * *

I woke in the room I shared with Adriel.

“Nor.” Zadie rose from a chair and hurried over to me. “Thank Thalos you’re okay.”

“Zadie.” We hugged each other tightly. There were a few candles lighting the room, but it was dark outside. “What’s happening? Where’s Talin?”

“He found his mother. She brought her troops back to Old Castle for the night. Tomorrow we’ll assess the damage.”

Memories of the battlefield rushed in. “Has anyone seen Ceren?”

“There are people searching for him, but so far, he hasn’t turned up.”

I shouldn’t have been concerned. Ceren was weak and alone, vulnerable outside the shell of the mountain. But the thought of him creeping about like a pale spider made me nervous.

I glanced down and realized I’d been changed into a clean shift. “How are Mother and Father? Can I see them?”

Zadie nodded, gently urging me to lie back against the pillows. “Everyone is fine. You’ll see them in the morning, after you’ve had some rest.”

There was a light knock on the door, and a moment later, Adriel entered.

“You’re a sight for sore eyes,” she said as she came to give me a hug. “I heard you broke the blood bond all on your own.”

I smiled sheepishly. “You don’t sound particularly surprised.”

She shrugged and sat down on the opposite side of the mattress from Zadie. “I always knew you had an affinity for magic. You just needed to realize it for yourself.”

I told Zadie and Adriel everything that had happened in New Castle, ending by showing them the bloodstone pendant still around my neck. It felt like nothing more than a cold piece of metal and stone.

“Will it still work?” Zadie asked.

“The stone? I don’t think so,” I said, though I made no attempt to test it out. “I think whatever power made Ceren and me capable of wielding the stones was lost when the bond broke. Something about our combined blood must have made them work.”

“The combination of royal blood and witch blood, if I had to guess,” Adriel said.

My eyes widened involuntarily. “Witch blood?”

“Call yourself a healer if that makes you feel better.” She stared at me with those unnerving eyes. “Either way, you’re one of us now.”

“Really?”

She nodded. “You have a great deal of potential, Nor, but you have a lot of studying to do as well.”

Zadie squeezed my hand, sensing I was becoming overwhelmed. “You should get some more sleep. I imagine tomorrow will be a big day for everyone.”

I nodded and nestled deeper into my pillow. I hoped I would feel relieved, but Ceren’s scream still echoed in my ears when I closed my eyes and fell into a deep, blessedly dreamless sleep.

31

I woke to a scream so primal and desperate I bolted upright in bed, my heart pounding, convinced I was back in New Castle—or perhaps I’d never left. But then Adriel sat up in her bed, immediately lighting the candle on her nightstand.

“What was that?” she asked, getting out of bed and padding barefoot to the hall.

I shook my head and joined her. As we peered into the hallway, we heard people shouting in the distance and heavy footsteps pounding down the corridor. We ducked back as a soldier ran past our room. Fear crept over my body like frost, making my exposed skin prickle. Ceren shouldn’t be on my mind anymore. The bond was broken, and he was gone. But as I dressed in a tunic and breeches, the looming dread that chased me into sleep returned.

“Where are you going?” Adriel asked as I entered the hall and headed toward Talia’s chambers.

“To see what happened.”

She sighed, reaching for me. “Can’t you stop being a heroine for five minutes? Whatever it is, someone else can take care of it.”

But I evaded her grasp and darted into the hall, my pace quickening as my worry grew. There was a commotion coming from Talia’s chambers, and no one stopped me from entering. I found Talia weeping in her son’s arms, inconsolable. Seeing the warrior queen crying and desperate made me feel sorry for Talia, something I hadn’t thought possible.

“What happened?” I asked Talin as he passed his mother to the waiting arms of the nursemaid.

“My sister is missing,” he said quietly. “We’ve searched the entire castle grounds, but Mother is certain Zoi wouldn’t have left on her own.”

“She’s a curious little girl. It’s possible she decided to go exploring,” I said, but even I wasn’t convinced by my words.

Talin shook his head and lowered his voice. “The guards would have seen her if she’d gone anywhere.”

“Assuming they’re loyal.” I hadn’t meant to say the words out loud, but Talin’s eyes flew to mine.

He pulled me aside so his mother couldn’t hear us, though I doubted she was aware of anything beyond her own wailing. “Why would you say something like that?”

“I’m sorry. It’s just that your mother conscripted people who had no interest in fighting a war, Talin. She tore people away from their families, and some of them probably lost loved ones in the battle yesterday.” I softened my tone, not wanting to hurt him. “Besides, anyone can be bought if the price is right.”

His brow furrowed, first in doubt, then concern.

“You have to admit it’s possible,” I pressed.

After a moment, he turned to Osius, who had just entered the room. “Did you find anything?”

Osius shook his head.

Talin nodded, setting his jaw. “Round up everyone on duty tonight. I want each of them searched and questioned.”