And then Tor cursed loudly, slamming his fist into the wall of the nearest building. “Gods dammit!” he cried, punching it again.
Alarmed, Kiva grabbed his arm, wincing at the blood covering his knuckles. She reached for her magic, longing to take away his pain. But then —
Nothing.
Delora’s potion — Kiva had forgotten.
She couldn’t access her magic while under its effects, not even by choice.
“Calm down, brother,” Zuleeka said, placing her hand on his shoulder. “There was never any guarantee Kiva would learn something to help us — this doesn’t change our plans.”
“Exactly!” Tor yelled, throwing out his arms. “It doesn’t change anything! We have to keep doing what we’ve been doing!”
Zuleeka’s eyes narrowed. “And what’s so wrong with that?”
I’m tired of seeing good people suffer for a cause I’m not even sure I believe in.
Torell’s words returned to Kiva, words she instinctively knew Zuleeka wouldn’t understand. Jumping in to save him, she quickly said, “It’s my fault — you asked me to find a lawful way to take the throne, and I didn’t. I’m sorry.”
“You did what you could, little sister,” Zuleeka said. She was much calmer than Kiva had anticipated, but then again, she had a lot of making up to do from the previous day — the previous ten years.
“You’re sure, though?” Zuleeka continued. “That it’s impossible to steal the Ternary? The Eye sounds like the trickiest part — is it really so well protected?”
“Jaren said it goes wherever the current general goes,” Kiva said. “So it’s with Ashlyn and the armies — and shielded by her magic, too.”
Zuleeka sighed. “Well, it’s a blow, but we won’t give up. We knew claiming the throne would take time, we just need to be patient.”
Kiva snuck a quick look at Torell, finding him staring furiously out into the darkness.
This life isn’t one I ever would have chosen for myself.
A lump formed in Kiva’s throat at the remembered words, and she pressed into his side, offering comfort in a way that, hopefully, Zuleeka wouldn’t question.
Tor exhaled loudly and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer. But then he stilled, his gaze focusing on her neck.
“What’s this?” he asked, lifting the golden chain.
“A gift from Jaren,” Kiva answered, pulling the amulet out from beneath her clothes. “I had a run-in with his mother last night, and he gave me this afterward to protect me from any future magical attacks.”
Both Torell and Zuleeka froze at her words.
“The queen attacked you?” Tor exclaimed.
“Are you all right?” Zuleeka asked, her concern warming Kiva so much more than her earlier apology.
Kiva didn’t share how close she’d come to drowning in the queen’s sitting room — she’d already given them plenty to worry about tonight. “I’m fine,” she said. “Jaren used his magic to save me.”
“Fire magic against the queen’s water magic?” Zuleeka asked, arching an eyebrow. “How did that work?”
Kiva quickly covered, “He has wind magic too, remember? He used it to throw Ariana across the room.” That wasn’t a lie. They just didn’t need to know he must have also used his water affinity to counteract Ariana’s power.
“He did what?” Torell asked, gaping.
“And then he used it again to slam the doors shut behind us, locking her in her rooms,” Kiva shared.
“Whoa,” Torell said, with clear admiration.
“It was pretty impressive,” Kiva admitted. “The things they can all do with their magic . . .” She shook her head in amazement.
“No one should have that much power,” Zuleeka said, a dark edge to her voice. But then it lightened as she added, “At least they’re all limited in some way. Imagine if we had another Sarana Vallentis among us, with all four elements? Now, that would be a concern.”
It took every scrap of acting skill within Kiva not to react. She should tell them. They were her family. But —
I trust you, Kiva. You have to know that by now.
Kiva had betrayed Jaren in so many ways — she couldn’t betray him in this.
“So this amulet,” Tor said, squinting at it in the dark. “It protects you from elemental magic?”
When Kiva nodded, her siblings leaned in for a closer look, with Zuleeka touching each of the colored gems as Kiva explained how it worked.