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Torvo and I gaped at each other as the sound of footsteps eventually receded. She’d used her magic to lure the guards away with her and keep us safe. Or rather to keep him safe. She must have feelings for him. I filed that information away for later. It was possible I could use that somehow. Though I’d have to be careful since her so-called feelings only went so far. She supposedly loved her sister, imaginary or not, and she’d disintegrated her the moment she stepped out of line.

“Listen, Rivven, I can’t stay long, and I need to tell you something. I didn’t want Rune to know, but I went into her mind while she slept. Nyah is alive.”

“What?” I felt like the floor dropped out from beneath me. I lunged forward, palms pressed against the door. “What do you mean?”

“The first thing she asked was if you were okay. She wants you free.”

“What are you saying? That she’s there, separate, but in Rune’s head?”

Torvo nodded slowly, watching me as I raked my fingers down the metal door in anguish.

“She’s a prisoner too, then. There has to be a way to free her. To extricate her from the princess. We have to let her out.”

“I think there’s a possibility she could be strong enough to take over Rune’s mind. But Rivven, if I convince her to fight for control, Rune will figure it out, and the tenuous trust I’ve built with her will be destroyed.”

“I don’t care about your fucking relationship,” I hissed. “What matters is Nye. She’s the one who deserves to be free.”

Torvo stepped closer until our noses almost touched through the small opening.

“I care about Nyah as well. But Rune is a human who has been abused and imprisoned her entire life. Her wellbeing matters. I will find a way to free Nye. I promise. But do not suggest again that Rune is not worth saving, too.”

If my fire hadn’t been stifled, I’d have combusted on the spot. Instead, I slammed myself against the metal door with a yell. I continued to do so as the bastard turned and walked out without another glance. How dare he? The freedom and power had gotten to him—corrupted him like most men. It seemed he’d be perfectly happy to marry the princess and rule the three kingdoms under the evil king.

When I finally tired of throwing myself into the impenetrable door, I sank to the floor and ran my hands down my face. The tiny bit of satisfaction at splintering some of the wood near the frame was eclipsed by the knowledge that I was utterly alone. The only other people I could rely on were in just as much danger as me. Galan was still missing after leaping from the edge of the floating kingdom. For all I knew he was dead, and even if he wasn’t, he’d be hiding out of the king’s reach. And who was I kidding? No one had successfully breached the walls of Centos before, myself included. And absolutely no one had made it out. Except Nyah.

If anyone could escape a dire situation it was my little spy. I smiled at the moniker that always stirred her up so much. She was still in there. She still had agency, according to Torvo. And that meant it was possible she could fight her sister and win.

“Hurry, Nyah,” I whispered as more footsteps approached.

They were coming for me again, and even I could only take so much.

Seven

Nyah

Being alone, even in a paradise of my own making, was driving me insane. My mind wandered between worrying about each of my friends—Rivven, Torvo, Galan—and back again to Rivven. Always back to Rivven. How I longed to be in his arms right now, lying on the grass right here in this very spot of the Astridonian woods, where we’d made love for the first and only time.

But no, this wasn’t the actual spot, was it? This was a copy—an illusion, just like me. If I were to create an animal to keep me company, assuming I were capable of such a feat, would it have feelings and thoughts of its own as well?

That brought me around to Ven, the baby dragon I’d saved as an egg and then hatched when her mother was killed in the first of the Imrati trials, all thanks to my father. She was a newborn, and I’d left her in my cabin in Astridon. I’d told her to stay there when she’d imprinted on me, foolishly believing I’d return from the final trial unharmed.

A bitter laugh escaped my chest at the thought. And now, what had become of her? Yet one more soul who had trusted me that I’d let down.

Gods, what I wouldn’t give to just observe through my sister’s eyes what was happening out there. To know if Rivven was still alive, though I doubted he could last much longer without intervention. Why hadn’t Torvo visited me again? Maybe he got Rivven out…

How long had it been since his visit? Hours? Days? Weeks? How was I supposed to know, trapped inside Rune’s mind?

I screamed into the void, and the wind answered.

Sniffling, I sat with my back to a tree, and without even meaning to, changed the scenery to the Night Forest on the evening I’d met Rivven. When he’d tied me near the fire so I wouldn’t escape and warn my father he was coming. I’d been so confused by his behavior, yet so enamored with this man—the first person I’d encountered outside of Centos, and one who’d killed his own hired hands to save my life.

A tear slid down my cheek and fell to the dirt beside me. Was this all I could do, feel sorry for myself? What happened to the woman who trained and fought her way through the Imrati?

I was still me.

Whatever the source of my life, I was here, and I wasn’t the type of person to give up easily. A coward? Yes, I’d had to overcome that fear to enter and fight beside Rivven and the others. My sister had won by putting me away like an inconvenient burden. But she’d taken me by surprise, and now everyone I cared about was in danger. There had to be something I could do.

Standing, I stepped forward, recreating my sister’s room around me. What I wanted was the door. Expecting it to be locked, I conjured my sword, but when I twisted the knob, the heavy wood swung open far easier than it would in real life.