Page 176 of Hellbound

“What’s happening, Emre?”

“The Lord King is unhinged. He won’t stop rambling about Vezna and his study. He hasn’t left the garden, just pacing nonstop.”

Point break.

Bohdan dragged his guard inside and shut the door.

He lowered his voice. “He thinks Danika is the mastermind behind the assassinations. She made the key to his study; she’s a bondsmith, and she’s been within the castle the entire time.”

A sudden surge of fear pierced Ksenia’s heart.

“He believes this was her final act of revenge against him for killing her sister.” Emre rubbed the back of his neck. “He wants you at his side, immediately.”

Bohdan gave an affirmative nod as the guard exited and pulled the door closed.

Ksenia burst through the wardrobe the moment the latch clicked. “You have to convince him she’s not the killer.”

“Unless I’m turning you in, he won’t believe me.” Bohdan tugged on his second boot, jaw tight. “He’s beyond reason if he’s willing to kill his last bondsmith.”

Ksenia’s fingers fumbled with the laces on her boot. “Buy me time. I need to reach her before he does.”

“No.” His hand shot out, gripping her wrist. “I’m coming with you. You can’t face him alone.”

She wrenched her hand away. “I can, and I have to. Your best move is to stay quiet and loyal. He trusts no one but you now, and we can’t lose that advantage.”

His throat bobbed. “I can’t live this lie anymore.”

“You have to—listen to me—you have to.” Her fingers gripped his jaw, then softened. “But if we kill him, we can change everything—the kingdom, the bloodshed, all of it.”

His eyes searched hers, desperate for another option.

She gave him none.

“Ksenia—”

“Senka,” she corrected. “Trust me, please.”

His eyes clenched shut briefly before that familiar mask reformed and the captain returned.

“Go,” he said roughly. “I’ll stall him as long as I can.”

Ksenia dragged him close, her hands fisted in his tunic, memorizing the scent of him, every facet of his green eyes, the strength of his jawline, then the softness of his lips before she enveloped him in an embrace.

As Ksenia drew closer to the forge, the usual din of hammers and the roar of fire were absent.

She strengthened her resolve and pushed through the doors.

The forges were lit, painting the stone walls with pulsing oranges and reds. Shadows stretched and convulsed with each whisp of flame.

The air quivered and shimmered. It was hot, metallic, and stifling.

An odd pressure was building in her head, as if she had been trapped underwater. Her heartbeat thundered, and her breathing came stilted and quick.

She stared around her, hyper-alert in the dulled environment.

Ksenia spotted Danika in the center, knelt before her anvil. A thousand silver shards were scattered around her, like panes of a mirror, radiating outward in glittering fractals. Firelight danced across her dazed face in shifting hues—soft gold, then searing red.

She looked thinner, but her spine was straight.