Four days passed before Virelai saw Cylan again. He was waiting for her at her door when she emerged to head to breakfast.

  "Did you do as I asked?"

  "I did." He fell into step slightly behind her.

  "What took you so long? Was there trouble?" She’d expected him to report back the same day.

  "No trouble. I had to find someone to switch with me again."

  Virelai knew which guard he’d switched places with the first time, and therefore knew there had been plenty of opportunity. No matter. It wasn’t like she could get back the wasted time.

  "I spoke with him," Cylan said, being careful to not say Eryx's name. "And the girl has not returned."

  Not the news she’d wanted to hear. If Wisteria hadn’t returned, then she’d likely been caught. It would only be a matter of time before Gavaran tortured her for information that would lead straight back to Virelai.

  “Anything else?” she asked, her mask of indifference firmly in place. They were almost to the dining room now, and she wouldn’t have much longer to speak with Cylan without it appearing suspicious.

  "He wished you and your father good health, but there was nothing else."

  “Hmm.” That sounded nothing like Eryx.

  Virelai thanked Cylan and left him in the hall.

  As usual, Virelai dined alone, and today she was glad of it. It allowed her to fully focus on Cylan’s report and not have to think about what her expression might be giving away.

  She plucked her spoon from the table and dipped it into her porridge. It had taken Cylan four days to tell her that Wisteria had not returned. That meant at any moment, her father could send for her, or worse, he could move up the wedding. Would he still marry her off if he knew of her activities, or would he add her to his collection on the wall? She could not say for certain.

  Then there was the matter of what Eryx had said. He would never wish Gavaran good health. She didn’t think he would even wish her good health.

  By the time she’d finished her meal, she decided it must be a warning. Eryx did not trust Cylan. She’d have to test him by giving him a task she could monitor without him knowing. It only took moments for her to come up with the perfect opportunity.

  While they returned to her rooms, Virelai told Cylan about the female she’d overheard her father speaking with.

  “I need you to listen for other meetings like this,” she said. “There will likely be another one around the same time of day. I assume your shift with me is until mid-afternoon?”

  “Indeed.”

  She noted his lack of honorific. He’d failed to use one earlier as well. Either he’d done it on purpose, or he hadn’t noticed his slip-up. It did not bode well for this test.

  “Then you will use your magic and investigate this during my midday meal.”

  “As you wish,” Cylan said.

  He gave her the smallest bow before she retreated into her room.

  When it was time to return to the dining room, Cylan was waiting for her. They were silent on the walk.

  “Remember your task,” Virelai said before entering the room.

  She didn’t take a seat at the table. Instead, she waited next to the door, listening for the sound of Cylan’s footsteps as he went to carry out the mission she’d given him.

  When she was satisfied he was far enough away, she slipped out to follow him.

  Virelai peeked around the corner in time to see Cylan disappear. One moment he was there and the next he was gone. If she didn't know better, she would have thought her eyes were playing tricks on her.

  She waited a beat or two before heading down the hallway herself, stopping in the exact spot where Cylan had been standing, directly outside the door of the meeting room.

  "Have you made any progress?"

  It was the same female voice as last time.

  "No, my Queen," Gavaran said.

  My Queen? Virelai wrinkled her nose. Who could this possibly be?

  The female made an annoyed noise. "At least I have the seer in hand. Silly girl showed up all on her own with one of your elves. She won't be a problem for much longer."

  "Excellent news, my Queen."

  "Yes, but it would be even better if a certain Elven queen was back in place, where she is supposed to be until we have completed preparations. This is your last warning, Gavaran. Make sure it happens."

  "Yes, my Queen."

  The room fell silent.

  Virelai stared open-mouthed at the door. She still had no idea who her father was working with, but the only seer Virelai knew of was Seraiah.

  And they intended to put Kai's sister back on the throne.

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  Virelai was so busy trying to make sense of this new information that she’d forgotten the entire reason she was there to begin with.

  "Cylan," Gavaran greeted her guard.

  Either Cylan had lost control and revealed himself by accident, or Eryx had been correct.

  "It is time." She heard Cylan say.

  Before Virelai could move away, the door swung open, and she was pulled into the room.

  Her eyes went first to Cylan, standing directly behind Gavaran. There was a malicious smirk on his face as he watched her.

  She’d made a terrible miscalculation.

  Virelai's gaze shifted to her father, who had his usual blank mask in place, giving away nothing.

  "Wait outside," he instructed the guards who had pulled her into the room.

  After they left, Gavaran stood slowly, coming around the table to where she waited.

  "I hope you heard everything you wanted because you won't be hearing any more. Cylan, here, has kept me informed of all your little schemes."

  Virelai snarled. She knew she shouldn't have trusted him, but the lure of his power had been too great.

  Cylan's smirk morphed into a full-on triumphant grin as he stared at her. There was no trace of the young guard, who was eager to please.

  "Did you think you could beat me at this game, daughter?" Gavaran let out a bark of laughter. "Think again. I've been playing far longer than you have, my dear. Don't forget who taught you everything you know."

  She knew she should keep her mouth shut, but she couldn’t resist saying, “And yet you're nothing but someone else's puppet, aren't you?"

  Gavaran backhanded her so fast she didn't see it coming. His ring sliced into her cheek, but Virelai trained her eyes on the floor, refusing to let him see how much it stung.

  He grabbed her chin hard enough to bruise and forced her to meet his eyes. "You should think carefully before you speak. We wouldn't want you to accidentally lose your tongue. Although if Harloth chooses to have it removed after you are married, that is none of my concern."

  Virelai didn't think it was possible to hate him any more than she did right now.

  A smile curled his lips upward, but it didn't touch his eyes. "I won't have you attempting to interfere with my plans. I’ve only allowed you as much freedom as I have so that Cylan could gather the information I needed to put a stop to it.”

  Panic swelled in her chest.

  Eryx. Wisteria. He knew about the safe house. Anyone there was as good as dead.

  He let go of her chin and turned to the window. "Now that you are of no use to me, it is time you became someone else’s burden. I’m sure Harloth will find ways to occupy your time.”

  Virelai shuddered in revulsion. Harloth would never lay a hand on her as long as she was still breathing.

  “Guards," Gavaran called. He didn't need to raise his voice.

  The guards re-entered the room and seized her elbows.

  "See my daughter to her rooms and be sure she stays there until it is time for her wedding.”

  He didn't see the glare she was shooting at his back.

  She would make him pay for this. First, she would find a way to escape and then he would pay, she vowed. He might want to treat her like a pretty bird caged up until it was needed to show off, but he was forgetting this pretty bird had claws and a sharp beak. It was only a matter of time before she came for his eyes.

  Virelai let her body go limp and compliant. Let them relax their guard. Let them be wooed by her pretty feathers, so they wouldn't see the claws coming before it was too late.

  "One more thing," Gavaran said, as the guards started to lead her from the room. "Send someone to that house. I want the traitors taken care of. Then you can burn it to the ground."

  Virelai paled. Not her mother’s house. He wouldn’t—couldn’t. It was all Virelai had left of her.

  "Happy to, my King," Cylan answered, over her protests. "I will see to it myself." He gave Virelai one last mocking smile before she was pulled away.

  Ashe was in the same spot Seraiah had last seen her. Someone had already opened the curtains before her arrival, bathing the room in pale blue light.

  "If you need anything, I will be right outside," the faery told her.

  She wasn't sure if it was her imagination, but his statement almost sounded like a threat. Regardless, Seraiah thanked him with a smile, and he left the room.

  As she approached the bed where Ashe sat, her mother turned to regard her. Today, her eyes were sharp and clear.

  "You shouldn't be here."

  "So you told me yesterday,” Seraiah said, stopping just out of her reach. “I’ll be gone soon, but before I go, I wanted to ask you about the madness.”

  Ashe cocked her head to the side, waiting, and Seraiah took it as a sign to continue.

  "Did the Winter Queen tell you how to stop it or a way to prevent it?"

  Ashe giggled, high and girlish. "She knows no more than you and I. I was a fool for believing she did."

  Seraiah's heart sank. She’d had a growing suspicion that was the case, but then what could the faery queen have meant in her note? What did they have to discuss that would be beneficial to everyone?

  "Did she tell you what she did to me?" Ashe continued, interrupting Seraiah’s thoughts. "No, of course she didn't because that would scare you off, and now that she has nearly used me up, she will need a replacement."

  "She told me you were too far gone to save when you arrived."

  "A lie," Ashe spat. "I was no further gone than you are now. My mother had told me stories of my father's special abilities and how he’d been taken from us because of them. She was convinced those who had taken him would be back for me if I used my gift and banned me from learning anything about it. I, of course, defied her and used them in secret to learn as much as I could. But it wasn't until I had you that I finally learned what had become of my father, how he had lived, and the madness that had taken hold of his mind. I knew it was only a matter of time before it took hold of me too, so I left."

  "And what about me?" Seraiah asked softly. "Didn't you care about what happened to me?"

  "Yes," Ashe said, leaning toward her, fire in her eyes, "of course, I cared for you. That is the whole reason I left. I had to find a way to stop this and if I never made it back, at least you would never know about your gift and end up like me."

  "Looks like your plan didn't work out."

  Just as Sterling’s mother had failed to protect her. Both of them thought abandoning us with no knowledge of who we are would save us, and yet it was not enough.

  "No." Ashe settled back on the bed. "I was stupid for believing the faeries. They didn't have a solution any more than I did. They only wanted to use me. They were the ones who pushed me—who broke me." She looked up at Seraiah, naked pain in her eyes. "And they will do the same to you if you don't leave."

  "What about you? What will they do to you if they don't have me?" She shouldn’t care about the mother who abandoned her, but she couldn’t help herself.

  Ashe shrugged. "Nothing they haven't already done. It is too late for me now. My mind is rarely my own these days. I sometimes pretend it is worse than it is, so they will leave me alone, but it won't be long before I don't have to pretend anymore."

  A tear escaped and rolled down Seraiah's cheek before she dashed it away. No one deserved this, but there was nothing she could do about it—not if she intended to save Sterling.

  "I know what you’re facing," Ashe went on, "and I don't envy you. You have some hard decisions ahead of you. Don't make the wrong ones like I did."

  Seraiah opened her mouth to ask if Ashe knew what those decisions were—if she knew about Sterling, but a noise in the hallway stopped her.

  "Is she in there?" a muffled voice asked. "We can’t find the elf, and we discovered there were vials missing from the potion stores. We need to ensure the human doesn't get away."

  Ashe turned frightened eyes on her. "They already know."

  Seraiah pulled the vial of blue liquid from her pocket. "But they can't stop me. Tell me one last thing. Did you see my sister? Did you see Sterling in your visions?"

  Behind her, the door was opening.

  Ashe nodded. “Fate cannot be fought,” she said, repeating her words from the day before, “and they already know.”

  Faeries spilled into the room.

  Seraiah was out of time. She knocked the cork from the top of the vial and raised it to her lips. "Goodbye, Mama," she whispered, and then poured the liquid into her mouth.