Sema… wearing a disguise?
Sema's voice cuts through the darkness. “Your brother has my brother's blood on his hands.”
“And I told you not to send Jeron to that meeting,” Byzu counters. “The boy was a powder keg with a lit fuse.”
I freeze on the bottom step, pressing myself against the cold stone wall. The service tunnel stretches before me, moisture beading on rough-hewn walls, torch flames dancing in drafts from unseen passages. My breath fogs in the chill—Draethys's deepest levelsalways carry this bone-deep cold.
Sema. The name clicks into place. Dayn's street confrontation. Jeron, the younger brother who ignited at the council meeting, forcing Dayn's hand. The whispers Nyssa caught—self-defense, too many witnesses for House Braynor to contest.
So why is the king's other son meeting him in secret?
“If I'd been there instead—” Sema's voice breaks.
“None of us foresaw what happened,” Byzu cuts him off. “Jeron crossed a line no one expected. Now tell me why you risked coming tonight.”
“Johel Meraxis is with us now. Brutus's youngest.” Pride creeps into Sema's tone. “We have allies in every noble house.”
Byzu glances nervously down the corridor. “Ariella Rogon as well. Arrynth suspects nothing. This could have waited until morning.”
“Arrynth needs convincing,” Sema leans closer. “Time grows short. Soon we reclaim what's ours. The sky. The world. By blood and fire—as was always our destiny.”
The world.My pulse thunders in my ears as visions of fire and wings flood my mind. I clutch my shadow cloak tighter, suppressing a shiver.
“I'll bring him around,” Byzu assures. “Our older brother's marriage to a human has already shifted his thinking.”
Sema's laugh holds no humor. “No betrayal cuts deeper.”
Byzu's voice drops to a harsh whisper. “The numbers aren't there yet. Even with Ariella supporting us.”
Sema's jaw tightens. “Leander dotes on his daughter. After what he witnessed at the council—” His fingers curl into fists. “Your brother has Jeron's blood on his hands.”
“Leander himself acknowledged it was self-defense,” Byzu counters. “Father demanded truthful testimony from everyone present.”
“My family's crypt holds one more son now.” Sema's lips peel back from his teeth. “That debt can only be settled in blood.”
Byzu lunges forward, fists knotting in Sema's collar. “Remember your place, Braynor. You serve the new order. You act on our command, not before.”
“You can't keep us leashed forever. And if your father refuses to join us?—”
“Out!” Byzu hurls him against the tunnel wall with a dull thud. “Return to your house. Tell the others to wait. Everything happens when we say it happens. We get one chance at this.”
Sema straightens, rubbing his shoulder. “We will rise again, Byzu.”
“We will. Just not tonight. Now go.”
I watch Sema’s hulking shadow recede down the tunnel until darkness swallows it whole. The gravity of what I've witnessed settles over me like stone.
Byzu turns suddenly, making his way back toward my end.
I swiftly retreat, putting plenty of distance between myself and the stairs as he climbs up. Only when his footsteps fade completely do I finally exhale, a shudder rippling through me.
I slip back into our matrimonial chamber, yanking off my shadow cloak as the door shuts behind me. My hands won't stop shaking.
Dayn bolts upright in bed. He wasn't sleeping.
“Your brother's planning an invasion,” I hiss, my voice barely above a whisper. “The secret you've been keeping.”
He blinks twice, squinting. “What?”
