Page 62 of Of Songs and Silence

Once Noa is in place and Kala is sleeping fitfully, I make my way back to the cavern where I know the rebels will be meeting in light of this news. Kane is already here, greeting me with a nod when I glide in.

Lani looks at me with her jaw clenched.

“We have to strike before the end of the tournament,” she says, clearly bracing herself for an argument from me.

Which is fair, since normally I would remind her that we don’t have time to plan this, don’t yet have the numbers. But I will die before I let Kala pay the price for our hesitation. Before I let someone put their hands on her against her will.

“I couldn’t agree more,” I respond to Lani’s obvious surprise. “But we will be keeping Kala alive.”

My voice is pure steel, leaving no room for disagreement. Instead of a clamoring of protest, the silence of several shields locking into place is the only response I get. Lani looks at me with her too-knowing gaze for a stilted moment before tilting her head toward one of the far rooms of the cavern. I nod at Kane and he returns it, an agreement to watch my back.

A lantern fish swims in with us, offering a flicker of light in the otherwise complete darkness of the cave. Kane slides a heavy rock into place to act as a door to give us a modicum of privacy. Though I can hear Kala through the walls, that is a side effect of our bond. No one here should be able to discern our conversation from this distance, with a barrier between us.

Once the rock is in place, I lock eyes with Lani.

“We can’t leave her alive,” she says, more cautious than usual.

She knows, as I do, how easily I could best her in a fight. How serious I am about this. But I don’t want to take out the leader of the rebellion unless she poses an actual threat to Kala, not when I respect her as a person and this might be our only real option.

“Yes,” I counter. “We can.”

Lani lets out an irritable snort. “This is not just because I hate that family, although I do. I am happy to leave Danica alive since she poses no threat to anyone, but do you honestly think Melodi wants to live a life where she’s fought over and claimed by every warrior who wants their chance on the throne? Even if we tried to exile her…”

“What if we controlled who she married?” The question hangs in the water between us, and Lani’s eyes narrow. “It would be an easier transition for the people anyway. No threat of the king, but no instability of arguing over who is on the throne.”

“You want to claim Kala for yourself?” She sounds less offended than curious.

Closing my shields, I nod. “You wanted me to be king.”

“And you refused, forcefully and at great length.” She crosses her arms, the manta ray tattoo on her bicep rippling with the motion.

“Things have changed,” I say flatly.

“You would force her to take your hand?” This time, there is no real curiosity.

She asks like she already knows the answer. I could lie, or I could hedge. But she suspects already, and I need her on my side. So I give her the truth, saying the words for the first time since Kala’s face appeared in my dreams, since her song reverberated in my being.

“I won’t have to. Kala is my soulmate.”

CHAPTERTHIRTY-SEVEN

MELODI

The day of the first competition arrives, and all I want to do is disappear. I don’t want to witness the brutality that’s coming, even if the contenders signed up for this. They flock into the arena like their deaths aren’t imminent, treating their fates like the game my grandfather has turned them into.

Are they fighting for power? For status? For a chance to make a change?

Or do they just want to own me?

I’m not sure it matters when their hands will be stained with the blood of their friends.

Once again, I find myself forced to sit in the royal box, staring down into an arena, waiting for the bloodshed to begin and wondering how the people rationalize it all. With my shields fully in place, I remind myself of Ari’s words.

This will not stand.

I don’t know how he plans on making sure of that, but I felt the truth of his words, the strength of his determination. Despite the reality we find ourselves in, the constant, lurking danger, I do trust him—not to tell me things, but to keep me safe.

That helps me bolster myself against whatever happens next. So, I fight the rising panic, locking it away in that chest in the back of my mind. I don’t think about which of the contenders will win.

---