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“Me too.” Petrik appears farther down the barely lit corridor.
“Where are we?” I ask.
“Secret passage in Marossa’s castle,” Petrik answers.
Kellyn says, “Not so secret anymore.”
Petrik winces. “Things are a bit touchy right now between my brother and sister. Don’t poke the hornets’ nest.”
He and Temra lead us down the tunnel. It’s filthy, the floor coated in mud and feathers and whatever else got dragged through here from all the people evacuating.
“Marossa didn’t like that Skiro revealed the passage to so many people?” I ask.
“Actually, she didn’t even know about it, nor the portal, so you can imagine how she’s feeling right now,” Petrik says.
“But she still welcomed us into her territory?”
“Welcomedis a strong word.Toleratedis more like it. In fact, I need to get back in there so they don’t kill each other. Ziva, Kellyn, would you both come? You know the most about Ravis and his plans. I know my sister would love to hear everything from your mouths firsthand.”
I open my mouth, stutter for a moment, and then sigh. “All right.”
Kellyn says, “We just fought a battle in which we were heavily outmatched, but it’s meeting someone new that might do her in.” If it weren’t for the fondness in his voice while he said it, I might be embarrassed.
When Petrik comes to a halt, his hand reaches forward, searching for something along the wall. There’s a click, and a section swings outward, admitting us into a much brighter space. I squint,unsure if I’m trying to get grit from my eyes or protect them from the sudden light.
Men and women in black livery with an emerald tree stitched on their fronts line the interior of the room. They turn their gazes to us as we walk past but say nothing.
In the corridor, we find more guards. So many guards. I can barely see the walls they’re crammed everywhere.
Princess Marossa may have allowed us into her castle, but she is certainly not trusting anyone. Or perhaps they were only here to help escort the people onward?
“This way,” Petrik says, leading us beyond the serious guards. They stand so still, they don’t look as though they’re breathing.
And of all the thoughts to hit me right now, I think,I’ve spent a lot of time in castles lately.
Before a few months ago, I’d never set foot in one. And now? Now I’ve been to half the royal palaces in Ghadra.
And then, before I’m fully prepared, I’m meeting a third royal, the sovereign over my home territory.
Princess Marossa has black hair braided into fine plaits raining over her shoulders. Her skin is a deep brown, just like Skiro’s and Ravis’s. With flawless skin and large lips, she’s simply stunning. She’s small, lanky like her brothers, though much shorter. She might reach my shoulder if I was standing next to her. Instead of a dress, she wears formfitting leathers. She has a bow over her back, the string looped over one shoulder.
“… filthy!” she’s saying now to Skiro. “Just filthy. Have you seen my halls after three thousand people tracked through them? And they brought livestock with them. Livestock, Skiro! Feathers and wool cling to everything! Poor Algarow has been sneezing up and down the halls. I never wanted to rule anything, and now you’ve just doubled the size of my city in one day!”
Petrik coughs, drawing the argument to an abrupt halt.
I nearly freeze in place when Marossa turns her icy stare on me. “This is them?” she asks as she sizes up me and Kellyn.
“Yes,” Skiro says. “This is Ziva and Kellyn, whom Ravis held captive. They gleaned extensive knowledge about his plans and brought me warning.” I notice right away that Skiro doesn’t reveal my abilities, for which I’m grateful.
“Skiro, I don’t need another person to tell me war is coming. I believe you! You brought it to my bloody doorstep! What I need is someone with answers. How do we stop Ravis and his men? How do we protect the people?”
“Actually, Ravis is dead.” The words are blunt, sharp. But I say them before I think about softening the blow.
“What?” both royals ask simultaneously. Their gazes turn back to me. I shift uncomfortably, and Kellyn takes over for me.
“We saw his body. Warlord Kymora killed him. They’ve been working together this whole time to take over Ghadra. But Kymora said she didn’t need him anymore. She doesn’t want to be reinstated as a general. She wants the crown for herself.”
Petrik is the first to respond. “Tell us every word you overheard. What exactly happened?”
