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“Besides,” Rheya said, “Lady Alissa won’t be alone. We shall paint a more convincing picture of friendship if she arrives within an Ansoran delegation.” With a nail-clacking flourish toward Keil, she added, “And what better way to dispel the rumors of my ambassador’s violence in Daradon than to have him escort the king’s bride to Banarrat?”

The king’s bride. The term struck me like a punch, stealing my breath.

“I hear that Daradonian courtiers enjoy dealmaking,” Rheya said, with a tone of finality. “So I offer you a deal, Lady Alissa. Present yourself as the Daradonian delegate, here to foster goodwill between our lands . . . and I shall forgive your role in upending my political relations.”

The air thickened with anticipation, my pulse drumming in my throat.

I’d believed that within Ansora, I would find answers about the compass my father had died trying to destroy, the compass Erik claimed would win him an empire. And truthfully, I’d thought I would have more time to work out where to begin.

But already, Erik was moving his game pieces, trying to recapture me. I had to make my own moves before he tried again—which meant I couldn’t play the role Rheya was casting.

Yet, since hearing her account, my specter had been squirming with a sense of wrongness. Because I couldn’t accept the theory that Erik was punishing Ansora through its islands. Nor could I explain his sudden interest in Banarrat.

I was still fretting about it when multicolored light shimmered in my periphery. I snapped my head around, and my breath caught as the full light of morning crept over the glass walls of the throne room.

No, not glass; as the sun kissed their surfaces, a rainbow light began swirling in their depths like watercolor paint dropped into liquid. And within three breaths, the dayglass walls of the empress’s palace were adazzle, transforming the golden throne room into a kaleidoscope of color and light.

It was breathtaking. I’d believed the dayglass dome of the Hunters’ compass was magnificent under sunlight, but this—

My eyes widened with realization.

Too many threads of Erik’s plans already led to Ansora: the language of his symbol, the origins of the compass, the trade deal he’d recently requested. So what if his interest in Banarrat went further than merely spiting the empress? What if the island was just one more thread connecting him to his goal of creating his own empire?

And if that thread could lead me directly to answers about the compass . . . then pulling at it could unravel Erik’s plans for good.

As the air shimmered around me, I drew a steadying breath. You’ve always thrived here, Garret had once told me at court. It’s your craft. He’d been right. I was a courtier.

So I met Rheya’s stare, raised my chin, and proudly said, “No.”

Rheya blinked. “Excuse me?”

“If you have eyes in Daradon, it stands to reason that Erik has eyes here, too. And if he discovers that I represented him in a political setting, he will not only know exactly where to find me, but he would punish me tenfold for my audacity. So, respectfully, I refuse.”

Rheya leaned back, and as the sun rose behind her, I understood the positioning of her throne. Because the rainbow light flared through the tines of her crown and in my eyes, forcing me to lower my gaze for her after all.

“You misunderstand.” Her silken voice betrayed the edge of a threat. “My offer is not subject to refusal.”

“Your Majesty—” Valeria began but broke off with a twitch of her fingers.

As Keil’s eyes flicked to hers, I realized he’d halted her with a touch of his specter. Silently communicating to his sister that she should leave me to my sport.

Keil had already seen me as a courtier. He knew what I was doing.

“For refusing to mend the damage you caused,” Rheya drawled, “you shall be considered an enemy of my empire.”

“Then imprison me,” I said. “I would rather rot in your prison than in Erik’s.”

Arun laughed softly. “Oh, you can’t possibly be sure of that, Lady Alissa. You have yet to visit our prisons.”

Valeria tensed; even Keil inched closer. Still, I held my nerve.

Banarrat had just become my best lead regarding the compass, and the empress had unwittingly handed me the perfect opportunity to follow it. But Erik had already manipulated one ruler into tracking me down. It was only a matter of time before he influenced others to do the same. And if searching for answers meant exposing myself to more danger, then I would need protection. So, to get it, I was relying on the most important lesson I’d ever learned at court:

Never ask a person for what you truly want; wait until they offer it freely.

But Rheya must have learned that lesson once, too, because her expression darkened. “Careful, child,” she said knowingly. “I don’t enjoy being strongarmed.”

“Then it’s a good thing you weren’t dragged before a monarch against your will and told to bow.” I straightened, not knowing how far I could push her but determined to find out. “Consider what you are asking of me. To act once more as a Wholeborn after a lifetime spent in hiding. To act as Erik’s bride, when I am still suffering from the poison he dosed me with.” Keil’s breath caught, his hand twitching. “I cannot possibly know what my future looks like while Erik is still in power,” I said, the truth of those words producing a mournful twist inside me. “But I cannot risk whatever future I have by agreeing to your request.”