Kaelith remained in her chambers long after the ball had ended. The moonlight poured into the room and illuminated the crystal vial that sat on the stone floor. Kaelith watched as the liquid changed color from crimson to silver, then from silver to crimson, all while turning it over in her hands.
"He said poison or a cure."
A soft rap on the door grabbed her attention. Kaelith hastily slipped the vial into her sleeve.
"Come in," she said.
Corven is still in his ceremonial outfit. His mask is hanging from one hand and he looks quite exhausted—and wary.
"We didn't dance," he said.
"Neither of us came there with the intention to dance," Kaelith replied him.
He sighed and moved to the table. "There is something I need to show you."
She frowned. "Confess or show me."
Corven placed a sealed letter on the table and said, "This arrived anonymously two days ago. I have not told the Queen Regent."
Kaelith picked it up, broke the wax seal, and unfolded the letter. Her blood ran cold.
A list. Titles. Names. Secret debts. Blazing crimes.
Each noble in the court with markings beside them. A feather, a dagger, a flame or a crown.
She stated softly, "I don't understand."
Sighing, Corven said, "The symbols mark how loyal or, more dangerously, how much of a threat they are to the Queen. The dagger indicates expendable; the flame means they are already dead."
"I'm not ruling anything," she coldly interrupted. "Yet."
Corven looked dazed for a moment. "Am I assumed to be a puppet king now? Just because it looks like I am?"
"You don't win anything here," she replied calmly. "So far, you've been all talk."
"Think of me as of a coward, but not anymore," he huffed.
Locking eyes with him, she silently vowed, "Then prove it."
"Drink this," Kaelith said simply as she pulled the vial from her sleeve.
Corven's eyes darted to the shimmering liquid. "But you don't know what it is."
"Neither do you, but if you want me to trust we're not like the rest of them in this vile court, take the first step into my world."
"Swallowing it all sounds like plan," he said, suspending the debate around what might happen, "but first, do I even have a choice?"
With a sudden flick of her wrist Corven let go of the bottle, causing it to shatter into multiple shards.
Stumbling backwards, he retched twice, sharp look in his eyes taking over the weak daze. "Now add reasoning to this somewhat enticing offer I'll be swallowing blindly. Why does it all end with me losing everything if I'm already out of the picture?"
Kaelith let out a breath, counting the moments until he straightened up.
"I feel… fine." He said, surprised.
"Then it wasn't poison."
She leaned forward. "Now we both know."
Corven gave a short laugh. "You really are terrifying."
"You're just learning that now?"
He left but paused at the door. "Whatever you're planning, Kaelith… be careful. There are forces moving that neither of us understands yet."
He was right.
And she was one of those forces now.
Theron came back the following day with some information.
"They are currently patrolling the eastern border," he explained. "This is a new directive from the Queen. She seems to be on the lookout for someone."
Kaelith crossed her arms. "Is that so?"
"She is after the old bloods," he said. "The concealed successors of House Nyros."
Kaelith's pulse quickened. "She is aware that they are alive."
"She has some evidence," Theron replied, looking at her. "And she has some evidence that you know what's going on."
"She is correct," Kaelith stated. "But I will not give her what she is after."
Theron moved in closer. "Then assume the position. If she assumes you are collaborating with them, you move to the top of her list, again."
Kaelith, looking into her reflection, reached for the thin scar just below her jaw. "Let her try. I've done it once, I'm not scared of death anymore."
That night, a raven came to her window.
No message.
Only a solitary object attached to its leg: a ring.
She carefully pulled it free and lifted it into candlelight.
What she is not expecting to see is Her father's.
The signet of the original Ravencourt bloodline.
Completely believed to be lost.
And carved into the inner band: the crescent symbol of House Nyros.
They were keeping an eye on her.
And they were trying to tell her: You aren't just a widow. You are an heir.
Kaelith's grip around the ring tightened.
The rules have shifted.
It was no longer about reconstructing a destroyed home.
It was about reclaiming an abandoned scepter.
A shrouded figure walked into the prohibited room where the throne's first oaths had been sworn in blood. Somewhere in the palace, below the Queen's private chambers.
"Scout the surrounding areas," he commanded. "The descendants reignite."
A second form emerged from the dark.
"She cannot be allowed to advance," the Queen Regent spoke icily. "Unless the fulfilling vision turns into reality."