My stomach turned again. “What’s he going to do?”
Domino said nothing, but then, his increasing anguish spoke for him.
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “You can’t let him.”
“Sir,” Cyrus said, taking a single step forward.
“Not another word,” the emperor snapped, silencing him.
Everyone stiffened, including Giselle. Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks.
“Behold, the key.” The emperor struck, driving the dagger deep into her carotid. “The sacrifice of someone you dearly love.”
Giselle’s blood spurted, arcs of crimson spraying.
“As you are aware,” he continued, his tone educational even as a tear slid down his cheek, “feeders experience no love, and Soalians are bound by their rules.” He let the body of his pregnant lover collapse to the ground, where she writhed, gasping for breath she couldn’t catch, pressing her hands against her open throat. “There’s no better defense for our Rock. No guards for the enemy to recruit or buy off.”
Winslet grabbed the dying Giselle by the hair and dragged her to the dome.
Righteous fury brought a new wave of strength, helping me shuck off my shock and rush over. Though I did everything in my power to free the innocent woman, I failed.
Helpless, I could only observe as Winslet flung her into the dome. Upon contact, Giselle jolted, hit by volts of electricity. She shook for several seconds before sliding into the dirt, leaving a crimson trail smeared on the dome.
Each of the royals had blanked their faces, revealing nothing of their emotions. But I knew Cyrus, and I sensed the shock, disgust, and wrath churning inside him.
Smoke curled from the smears, and in that small area, the shimmer faded.
“Each of you is allowed to bring a single dagger inside. Discard everything else.” The emperor walked through the opening, head high as he stepped over his lover’s fresh corpse.
Everyone shed their guns, swords, whips, and bows. Lolli followed the emperor first, with Summit directly behind her. A pallid Cyrus and Felix remained behind for several beats, peering at each other before striding forward.
I entered, too, certain hot tears poured over my cheeks. I felt their sear, even in my spirit. Domino remained at my side.
“This,” the emperor said, stretching out his arms with pride, “will be the new king’s legacy.”
My jaw went slack. The berries had begun their transformation. They’d grown together and darkened, creating a twelve-inch barrier, eight feet long. The insides still pulsed with radiant colors. More astonishing, John Victors perched at one end, tending the soil and muttering, “The end is here, the end is here.”
No one else but Domino noticed him, and I realized Victors was a spirit, like us.
“Victors,” I called, but he never glanced up.
“Isn’t it lovely?” the emperor asked, beaming as though he’d grown it himself.
Lolli twittered with delight, drumming her fingers together evil villain–style.
“One day, I will burn the library to the ground,” Summit swore.
“And you, Cyrus?” The emperor faced the group. “What will you do to the library?”
One of my hands fluttered to my throat as silence stretched.
Finally, he said, “I will formulate a plan after I’ve gathered every bit of information available, not spout the first whim that pops into my head.” This earned scowls from all his peers but Felix, who had reverted to a blank expression. “Those books can be used against Soal and all of his followers.”
My fiancé wasn’t a liar. He didn’t lie to anyone, ever, for any reason. Lies had teeth, and when you freed them, they came back to bite you, always. But he did know how to misdirect. This was a misdirection, only a misdirection.
The emperor smiled. “The time has come for Astan to make his final decision. War is soon to erupt in both worlds. We must be ready.” He sashayed toward the opening, Winslet and Mr. Vyle behind him. When the royals attempted to follow, he held up his hand, telling them without words to remain where they were. “The gods wish to learn the truth of your mettle. Who is strongest. Who is wisest and the most resilient. Who is willing to do whatever it takes to complete a job. Today, we will find out.”
“If you want to open the door and leave,” Mr. Vyle announced, “you know what you must do.”
