Page 98 of A Thread of Breath and Bone

When I pull back, I see the dark bruising beneath her red-rimmed eyes. The kind you get when sleep stops being possible.

“Hi,” she mutters.

“Are you okay?”

Her lips wobble. She shakes her head, like it costs her something. “My father sent Boyce and me here. Things at home have gotten worse.” She glances around, lowering her voice. “It’s bad, Raea.”

I’m about to ask what bad means in a kingdom that’s already bleeding when Kamden barrels into her like a cannonball, lifting her clean off the ground. She laughs—princess-perfect and polished—but the sound doesn’t reach her eyes.

The rest of our friends swarm her with questions and gossip, grateful for anything that isn’t war, dread, and tomorrow.

Ryker’s arms circle my waist from behind, his chin settling on the top of my head. I melt into him by instinct, breathing him in like oxygen.

“Anders!” Clara runs toward us, her blonde curls bouncing with every step.

Behind her, the ballroom’s music floods out from the open doors, the lights illuminating the hall in a golden glow. When I look at Clara, there’s something off.

As she nears, Ryker scoops her into his arms, her soft pink tulle gown bunching around her. She wraps her arms around his neck and cries.

“What’s wrong, little tidefish?” he murmurs, thumb catching her tears.

With a sob, she says, “I saw…Father.”

My whole body tenses. Ryker and I make eye contact over her shoulder. “I was down at the pools⁠—”

“Clara. You aren’t allowed to go alone.”

“I know. I’m sorry.” She swallows. “But he was there. He said he wanted to show me something.”

The air shifts. Not the way it does when the wind changes—this is different. It’s a prickling pressure against my skin. Like my magic is bracing.

Ryker’s eyes sweep the grounds. Hundreds of guards. Every walkway. Every terrace. Every level.

And still…

“What did he show you, Clara?” Ryker asks softly.

She leans back in his arms, wiping her face with the back of her hands. “Am I in trouble?” Her lip trembles and her big blue eyes water as she looks at him.

Ryker shakes his head, using his thumb to wipe at her tears. “No. Never.”

“I have to show you. He said I had to keep it a secret, but…it’s really big.” She looks between us. “Will you come?”

Ryker sets her down, kneeling in front of her as I continue to glance around. “Show me, okay?”

Clara nods.

Ryker stands, reaching for me.

I take Clara’s other hand in mine.

When our friends glance over, I don’t even have to ask. They fall in behind us.

We take the side path through the orange trees. Down the alabaster steps. Across the bridge. Down again—level after level—until the tidepools spread below the palace like broken mirrors, the cloud cover rolling in thick in the darkening sky.

The farther we go, the quieter it gets.

No music.