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I press the edge of my blade deeper into Rhaegar’s neck, drawing blood. I meet Leticia’s gaze. She’s intentionally trying to goad me.
I force myself to remain still and expressionless. It takes all of my self-control not to kill her father right then and there. “This is your last chance.Explain.”
Rhaegar trembles. A trace of fear leaks from him.Good.“It makes more sense if you just look.”
Ansar holds up his hands. “Look, brother,” he taunts.
And for the first time, I see.
Death Magic.
Necromancy.
In this form, it appears as slender, ephemeral red threads tangled between Ansar’s long, bejewelled fingers. He wears multiple rings—made of gold, silver, and precious gemstones. They must have magical properties, for the crimson threads wind themselves around them, glowing in places.
Ansar lifts up his left hand. “TheDryadaewoman’s life-force is contained between my fingers. I could snap it in an instant if I wanted to.”
“You won’t. She’s too valuable to you.”And Finley’s too pure. You can’t touch her.“Youcan’tcontrol my betrothed.”
“That’s true, but did you forget that you left a corpse in the Inner Sanctum? The fresh ones are the best, because some of them still retain a will that can be manipulated.And… now there aretwo.”
My father. Did he just animate my father’s corpse, turning him into an undead?
“Our father and the embalmer are now undermycontrol,” Ansar says softly. He sounds distant, his voice completely devoid of emotion.
Keeping my blade at Rhaegar’s neck, I force my body to become perfectly still. I’m like the frozen pond in Tyron Castle. One wrong step and I’ll crack and absorb everything into my abyss.
I remind myself that the Elite Guard are there, and between the dozen of them, they should be able to handle a couple of animated corpses.
And if that fails…
Finley.
The sweetest, most precious being that has ever graced my existence.
I’m so tempted to rush back to her and protect her, but that would defeat the purpose of what she truly needs from me.
And she’s imbued with the power of a god-equivalent ancient tree. I truly believe she hasEulisyn’sprotection.
So I continue to force myself to be calm—on the outside, at least.
My time will come.
“So you’ve shown your hand,” I say softly, keeping my eyes trained on Ansar as he lazily rolls the crimson threads between his fingers. They aren’t actual threads, of course, but skeins of visible magic; ephemeral and fleeting. I’m sure he could make them disappear if he wanted. “What is it that you want?”
“Well, obviously I’d be overjoyed if you disappeared altogether,” Ansar replies, “butyouof all people aren’t going to go quietly into the night, so let me offer a proposal that’s sure to guarantee your cooperation.”
“Go ahead.” The calmness of my own voice surprises me. “But if you hurteitherof them, you know what’s going to happen to you.”
“I can only imagine,” Ansar says dryly. “Conversely, if you try anything extreme,Aralyawill be no more. I know you came here for the dryad. If you didn’tcareso bloody much, you wouldn’t be in this predicament in the first place. But I need someone like her. Tapping into her power makes my work so much easier. I’m loath to justgiveher to you.”
Rhaegar lets out a grunt of pain. Blood is tricking down his neck. Its scent permeates the air.
“It seems we’ve reached a stalemate.” Leticia walks across the dais, reaching her son’s side. She places her hand on his shoulder. “You want to uniteAralyaand her daughter. We want a being we can draw power from, and we also want you neutralized, Corvan Duthriss. So how about a trade?”
“A trade.” My tone is flat; I can see where this is leading.
“I won’t harm your betrothed, and we’ll release the dryad.Ifyou agree to take her place.”
