Page 27 of Song of the Heart Scale
Julian exhaled loudly, clearly annoyed.
I glanced over at Lord Zacharia, who was nervously nibbling on his bottom lip. He stared intently at Thorne, practically begging him to defy everyone and go ahead with the wedding. I knew it was because he had already figured out Cat wasn’t Arya, but what did he stand to gain from selling her off like cattle?
“We’ll wait…” Thorne said reluctantly. “But an empty throne cannot wait. As Crown Prince, I am mandated to take up the throne. Anyone who opposes this natural ascension will be accused of attempting to usurp the crown.”
I wanted to snort but kept my expression neutral. Technically, he wasn’t wrong. As Crown Prince, he was next in line for the throne. But how did he assume the title of Emperor so quickly?
Lord Vauren looked around the room and sighed. “I have no objections.”
“Neither do I,” Lord Rolen said, followed by Lady Mirena, Lord Zacharia, and the rest of the council members.
Thorne almost couldn’t hide the sinister smile spreading across his face. “Very well, then it’s settled. Lord Zacharia, please prepare the rites for tomorrow.”
Lord Zacharia nodded. “Yes, Your Majesty.”
Just hearing his soon-to-be title made Thorne brim with pleasure. In stark contrast, I wanted to gag. Something was wrong about all of this, and I had to figure it out before the next thunderstorm.
Speaking of…
“Thorne?” I called out, refusing to call himYour Majesty. “Where is Malachar, the seer?” Our father’s right-hand man was conspicuously absent.
Thorne cleared his throat and straightened. “He remains by Father’s side. He did not want to leave.”
Nowthatwas loyalty. But if anyone knew the truth, it was him.
I nodded. “Any chance I could see Father before I leave?”
There was a pause, almost as if everyone in the room was holding their breaths. Almost as if everyone had asked the same question.
“Right now is not suitable,” Thorne cryptically replied.
I furrowed my brows. “Pardon?”
He ignored me and returned his attention to the council. “All right, since there’s nothing else to discuss, we will adjourn.”
Everyone awkwardly began to pack their belongings and leave. I turned to Uncle Bai, who gave me a stern look as if he was thinking the same thing.
“What did that mean?” I whispered as everyone shuffled around us.
“I don’t know,” Uncle Bai whispered back. “But it can’t be good… for your father. They are obviously hiding something and Malachar is either helping them, or he is being kept captive.”
“You know whatthatmeans…” I murmured.
Uncle Bai smirked. “It’s time to do what you do best.”
It was time to play in the shadows.
The palaceof Dragon Valley changed when the sun dipped below the mountains. By night, it wasn’t a monument—it was a labyrinth. Every hallway seemed to shift and every corridor swallowed sound. I slipped from my guest chambers just after the second bell chimed, dressed in shadow-dyed leather that didn’t rustle when I moved.
The moment I stepped past the threshold, the silence pressed against me like a long-held breath. Moonlight filtered through narrow, pointed windows, flinging fractured beams across mosaics that stretched up to vaulted ceilings. I paused at an intersection, unsure which way to turn. Three halls extended before me, each identical in construction—same black marble floors, same crimson tapestries edged in gold.
I chose the left hall, padding quietly with my hand grazing the wall. The stone was warm beneath my fingers, fed by the veins of magma rumored to run beneath the keep. It pulsed faintly, like a living thing.
I passed rooms sealed behind iron-etched doors, some warded with unfamiliar runes. The scent of burnt sage and lavender clung to one chamber so heavily it made my eyes water. I doubled back.
My path took me through a domed gallery lined with ancient dragon relics. I crept past massive, fossilized claws mounted onplinths, each one labeled with old Drakonar glyphs. The echo of my footfalls was too loud in here. I winced at every soft tap of boot on stone. The space was too open, too reverent.
A shuffle.
