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At once, everyone fell to their knees, heads hung low. We rose from the ground on command, silent as Emperor Theotis paced back and forth, his thick white eyebrows furrowed.
“Tonight,” he said in his unsettlingly quiet and calm voice, “was nothing less than a tragedy. A careless, pointless tragedy. On our holiest of holy days, on Valyati, a night to celebrate the return of light to this forsaken world, on the night we celebrate the Valalumir’s power to heal and nurture. Instead of the promise of light, we saw darkness descend across Bamaria. We saw the Soturi of Ka Batavia fail in their duty to protect its citizens. To protect Bamarians. Lumerians. To protect the students attending the Mage Academy, the Soturion Academy. Three akadim roamed free tonight. Three akadim were allowed inside these previously protected borders. Here they maimed and attacked Lumerians. The healing centers of Bamaria are full tonight, full of soturi many of whom are gravely injured, fighting for their lives.”
The Imperator smirked his insufferable, wolfish smile. And I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt who had been at fault tonight. Who had allowed akadim to pass, who had been so lax in their duties to protect that they hadn’t even attempted to use the warning bells until it was too late. Ever since Ka Kormac’s presence had increased, so had the presence of akadim. It could not be a coincidence.
Never in all our years of patrol had an akadim breached Bamaria. Never—until a full legion of Ka Kormac had taken over protection duties.
And now our own soturi—the soturi who had fought back, who had done all they could to stop the threat, who had kept these borders safe for centuries—would be blamed by the Emperor. Blamed for his nephew’s egregious fault. How many of our soturi were fighting for their lives in the healing centers now? And how many of Ka Kormac’s men ran and hid like cowards, watching the chaos and tragedy unfold while doing absolutely nothing to stop it?
“When all of this mess is over,” the Emperor continued, “I am appointing Imperator Kormac to remain in Bamaria. To lead a special task force to uncover how this could have happened.”
Try looking in a fucking mirror!My hands balled into fists at my side. It was the Imperator’s fault that Turion Brenna’s soturi were injured. His fault we’d lost Leander. His fault—his fucking fault—that Haleika was…that she was….
I couldn’t even form the thought. All I could do was bite back a scream and tense when Morgana reached over to take my hand.
“Still,” she hissed in my ear. “Be still.”
The Imperator bowed. “I look forward to uncovering this treachery. I will be working very closely with Arkturion Aemon to ensure that with the efforts and strength of Ka Kormac, this horrific event is never repeated. I promise you, my fellow Lumerians, Bamarians, we will make Bamaria safe again.”
You won’t even send your soturi to Elyria when there’s akadim. You didn’t even protect your own lands when the pack Rhyan hunted hid inside your hills. You fucking knew and you did nothing! It’s your fault! And now we’re paying the price!
Morgana’s hand tightened around my wrist. “Lyr,” she hissed under her breath. “You must be still.” She tugged, and I took a step back. I hadn’t realized I’d moved forward.
“Now,” the Emperor continued, “three akadim entered Bamaria tonight, and three akadim were killed. I want to acknowledge the heroics of those soturi who slayed the beasts. For it is our soturi who saved us all tonight. It is my honor to begin by naming Arkturion Pompellus Agrippa, warlord of all Lumeria Nutavia, as the first to kill an akadim tonight. Arkturion, we are in your debt for killing the monster that defiled the Temple of Dawn with its evil presence.”
The Blade stepped forward, his eyes narrowed, his expression drawn as he surveyed the room. I clapped along with everyone else because it was expected, because I’d been trained to do so. But I was numb as the Emperor’s sentries cried out, “The Blade! The Blade!” They still surrounded us, their swords drawn, their bodies tensed to fight. My stomach twisted at the sight of them filling my Ka’s fortress. Their proud screams sounded like an omen.
“Yes, yes,” the Emperor said, his quiet voice somehow rising above the yells. “And we have confirmed that despite being forsworn, Soturion Rhyan Hart brought death to the second akadim who attacked tonight. He struck the final killing blow outside the temple, defending her grace, the Lady Lyriana Batavia. Soturion Rhyan, where are you?”
Rhyan stepped out from the back of the hushed crowd. His jaw was tense as he approached the makeshift aisle and walked slowly to the Emperor and Imperator. He did not make eye contact with me as he passed.
There were some cheers and claps for Rhyan, but the crowd was subdued, unwilling to show support for a forsworn.
“That’s your second akadim kill this year,” the Imperator said. He spoke with an air of disbelief, the accusation clear in his voice. He didn’t believe him. “Too bad I missed it. Again.”
“Were you not forsworn,” said the Emperor, “you might have made a fine arkturion.”
Rhyan stiffened but bowed and made his way back down the aisle, standing apart from the crowd. His chilled aura vanished with his retreating form.
“And finally, the third akadim was slain tonight by another apprentice of the Soturion Academy. Were he here, I would congratulate him. And were he a hero, I would name him as such,” the Emperor said, anger rising in his voice.
I froze. Leander was a hero. He’d killed the demon. The Emperor should have been announcing Leander’s full name and title as shouts ofBar Ka Mokanand “his soul freed” were cheered. How was he not a hero for his actions tonight? For losing his life in the fight against the threat? For stopping the threat—for doing the very thing we’d all sworn to do?
The Emperor stepped forward, his eyes scanning the hall. “A hero, I did not see tonight. What we saw, thanks to the piecing together of witnesses, was the breaking of the most sacred of oaths—the illicit relationship between a novice and apprentice, between two soturi of the same kashonim. Leander Abden and Haleika Grey swore to put the fight against evil above all else. They swore mere months ago that if they should put others before their duties, if they should love those whom they’ve sworn not to, then they would no longer be soturi. They swore they would gladly accept their death. That is the oath they swore—and foreswore when their relationship interfered with their sacred duty, with their ability to stop the threat. Tonight, they failed. Were they alive, had they somehow survived the akadim attack, these soturi would be standing trial tomorrow for breaking their oaths. But it seems justice has served itself tonight. And though Soturion Leander Abden killed the akadim, he is not named a hero. And though Soturion Haleika Grey lost her life, she will not be mourned.”
My mouth fell open. I found Tristan, his entire face turning red, while Lady Romula’s eyes filled with venomous hatred—but not at the Emperor. She was staring at me, at my family, hatred clear in her aura, which emitted a spicy, unsettling cloud of power. She blamed us. She blamed Ka Batavia for allowing akadim inside, for being weak enough to allow a foreign soturi’s occupation. Ka Kormac had done this, but it was still our responsibility at the end of the day. It was our fault she’d lost a member of her Ka, her family. I couldn’t bear to hold eye contact, not with my guilt. Not with my grief. And not with hers so freshly wrought.
“The shame of two soturi putting their feelings for each other above their duty and failing to stop the threat,” the Emperor roared, “will be a taint on this academy for years. Had they upheld their oaths, they may have fought more precisely. Stopped the threat. Not suffered this fate.”
I found Rhyan. His face was pale, his eyes hollow.
“Tomorrow,” the Emperor continued, “knowing that the threat has been stopped, that Bamaria has been made safe once more, we will continue with the testing of Soturion Lyriana Batavia. Now that we know what comes of weakness in the fight against akadim—now that we know how easily tragedy can fall—it is more important than ever she prove herself, prove her strength. Tomorrow evening, we will meet in the arena at sundown. And we will know once and for all if this little experiment of her grace’s and the Imperator’s has proven fruitful or deadly for this country. The consequences have shown themselves tonight, and they will not be ignored. No one is above the law. Not even heirs.”
I swayed on the spot. Of course, I’d still be tested. Of course, they’d use this against me, find a way to blame Bamaria, blame Ka Batavia, blame me.
They didn’t know. Nor would they care. I was already blaming myself.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
