THIRTY-THREE #2
Her eyes flick briefly to mine.
“What matters now is what we’re going to do about it.”
A murmur of agreement moves around the table.
Rowena sits back in her chair. “If they’re in the capital, then every moment we spend discussing their history is another moment they spend advancing whatever plan brought them here.”
“Agreed,” Sienna says. “The question is no longer whether the Shadowed Hand are in the capital.”
Her fingers tap once against the table.
“It’s how deeply they’ve embedded themselves. If they mapped our defenses, tracked patrol rotations, and coordinated the attack on the ball, then this wasn’t the work of a single operative.”
A muscle jumps in Edric’s jaw. “It never is.”
Valen appears to be studying a spot on the wall, but I know that look. He’s taking everything apart and putting it back together again in his head.
My thoughts race ahead of the conversation. If they are here, if they have infiltrated the Fire Clan’s capital, then Selene has eyes inside the very heart of our war effort.
Thane finally speaks, his voice calm but edged with something lethal. “It means our war is closer than we thought.”
“The Shadowed Hand doesn’t fight head-on. They manipulate, infiltrate, and dismantle from within. They don’t storm the gates,” Orlon continues. “They make you open them.”
The realization comes quickly.
“That’s what happened at the ball, isn’t it?” I ask. “They didn’t overpower our defenses. They made them meaningless.”
“We have been fighting shadows for years, girl.” Edric exhales sharply through his nose. “This is nothing new.”
Sienna’s gaze shifts to him at the word girl. The look of disgust she gives him is brief, but unmistakable.
A quick glance at Rowena is all it takes. She gives the smallest nod.
Keep going.
I meet Edric’s gaze without flinching. “So they regularly break into the Fire Clan fortress?”
The air seems to go out of the room.
Edric’s expression hardens, but he doesn’t answer immediately.
Beneath the table, Thane’s fingers press briefly into my thigh. A small, deliberate squeeze.
I don’t look at him, but I know exactly what I would see if I did: Thane leaning back in his chair with an expression the rest of the council would struggle to read.
He’s watching everything unfold. Not just how my words land with the council, but the way I think, the connections I make, and the questions I ask.
A flicker of pride flows through the bond. The quiet encouragement is all I need.
“You all knew the Shadowed Hand existed. You knew they infiltrated cities, dismantled governments, and turned allies against each other. You fought them in the past.” I let my gaze sweep over the table. “And yet, you thought they couldn’t get to you.”
I let the implication settle over the room like ash.
“Do we have any idea who among us might be part of the Shadowed Hand?”
A muscle jumps in Edric’s jaw, but he says nothing. Sienna’s lips twitch slightly, but she remains silent.
“Then we’re looking for an enemy we know is here, but have no way of identifying. If the Shadowed Hand is as skilled as you say they are, then I think we might be asking the wrong question.”
Master Orlon studies me carefully. “What question should we be asking?”
I glance around the table. “You’re all focused on who helped them get into the castle.”
“Because someone did,” Edric replies.
“I agree. But if the Shadowed Hand has spent years infiltrating cities, governments, and military strongholds, then why would they risk exposing a valuable agent for a single attack?”
Sienna’s eyes narrow slightly, and Garrick shifts forward in his chair.
I continue before I lose my nerve.
“If they have someone close enough to compromise the castle’s defenses, then that person is valuable. Important.” My gaze moves between them. “So either the attack was worth sacrificing that asset . . . ”
The thought hangs in the air.
“Or the attack wasn’t the objective.”
Silence follows, but this time it feels different. The council is turning the idea over, following its implications to places they hadn’t considered before.
Valen drums his fingers. Even Edric’s expression shifts.
“What are you suggesting?” Sienna asks.
I take a breath.
“I’m suggesting that if the Shadowed Hand is really in the capital, then getting into the castle may have been a means to an end. Maybe we should stop asking how they got in and start asking what they came for.”
Edric answers immediately. “They came for you.”
The certainty in his voice leaves little room for doubt.
“You are the Spiritborn. The most powerful weapon in the realm. Taking you would have changed the course of the war.”
“Maybe.” I hold his gaze. “But there was a ballroom full of soldiers, mages, and channelers. Some of the strongest people in the realm were all in that room.”
I spread both hands on the table.
“If their goal was to take me, then they chose to strike while I was surrounded by people capable of stopping them.”
A crease forms between Edric’s brows.
“They knew exactly who would be there. The council. Nobles from around the realm. The Warlord. Dragon riders. Elemental wielders.” My gaze moves around the table. “And they attacked anyway. Why choose that day at that event?”
Sienna purses her lips. “What are you suggesting?”
I think back to the attack. The chaos. The way everything happened at once.
“I’m suggesting they expected resistance.” My pulse quickens as the thought takes shape. “Maybe even planned for it.”
Understanding flickers across Valen’s face. I look at Edric.
“If they were willing to risk exposing an asset inside the capital, then either taking me was worth any cost . . . ” I pause. “Or taking me was never the only objective.”
“The nobles,” Sienna suggests. “Half the realm’s political leadership was gathered in a single room. Remove enough of them and you create panic, instability, and power vacuums across every clan.”
“Symbolism,” Orlon adds. “The Spiritborn’s first public appearance. A gathering of clan leaders. There is value in striking at a symbol.”
Valen finally joins the conversation. “The wards.”
Every head turns toward him.
“If someone inside the capital helped weaken them, then the attack also served as a test. They now know what our defenses can withstand and where they are vulnerable.”
“A test,” Garrick agrees. “And a message.”
The council falls silent again, each possibility hanging between us.
I feel Thane’s attention sharpen. He hasn’t said a word, but through the bond I can feel the restrained energy coiled beneath his calm exterior. He’s listening. Calculating. Watching the pieces move across the board.
I look around the table. “What if it was all of those things?”
The words slip out before I can stop them.
“What if they wanted the Spiritborn, but they also wanted to test the wards? What if they wanted information or they wanted to see how we would respond?”
The silence that follows is thoughtful rather than skeptical.
I lean forward. “We keep talking about the attack like it had a single objective. But if the Shadowed Hand is really behind it, then maybe we’re giving them too little credit.”
Edric’s expression darkens. Sienna folds her hands together.