Chapter 24
When we returned to the Ludaryn, Marcus offered his hand to help me from the carriage.
Servants were already waiting at the entrance, and he began issuing orders before my feet had fully touched the ground. I was to be prepared for the gathering—no expense spared. The elite would all be present, and Thanor and I were expected to look our finest.
He spoke with open enthusiasm, as if the night ahead was a triumph already secured. Then he hurried up the steps, no doubt on his way to selecting his most regal robes for the occasion. Before I could follow, Thanor blocked my path.
“This is your last chance. Allow me to claim you, and I will protect you from whatever this evening brings.”
Dread took hold at the weight of his tone. I balled my fists and stepped higher up the stairs.
“I won’t. Why do you say this now? What do you expect to happen tonight?”
When he didn’t answer, I turned, but he caught my hand. Not with force this time. Gently.
“I will not risk everything for you if you refuse the bond. My life, my strength—everything I am—I would use to keep you safe.”
His words caught me off guard. My composure slipped before I forced it back into place.
“I will not trade myself for safety,” I whispered. “If that is the cost, then I will face whatever comes alone.”
I retreated inside the Ludaryn, glancing back once before the doors swallowed the streets from view. He still stood where I’d left him, fists clenched at his sides, his eyes fixed on the stone beneath his feet.
The image followed me all the way to my chamber. Even after I sat on the edge of the bed, it clung stubbornly to my thoughts. Then a knock sounded at the door.
“Come in.”
Livia stepped inside, her gaze catching on the bandages at my head and wrist. “Tina… what happened?”
“A great deal.” I snapped. “Where have you been?”
She flinched.
“I’m sorry,” I added quickly. “A lot has happened. I’m taking it out on you. On Jorius… You’re here now. And I’m in desperate need of your advice.”
She smiled, and piece by piece, I told her what had happened—the Moonbound Rite, the assassination attempt, and the invitation for tonight. When I finished, she sat beside me on the bed, pulling me into a firm embrace. Only then did the tears slip down my cheeks.
“So Aelia, Lucina, and Sevrak want you gone—and now assassins are hunting you because of Vayren?”
I nodded, swallowing.
“Tina,” she said, taking my hand and stroking it gently, “what do you need from me? I will help you in whatever way I can.”
I lowered my voice, glancing at the servants moving about the chamber.
“I won’t ask you and Jorius to join me again.
” I drew a breath, pushing past the heavy feeling in my chest. “But I need your help. Can you prepare provisions for me? And distract the guard at the courtyard? I want to find Elion first. Then we’ll make for the Lornwild.
We know it better than anyone. I’ll have to make sure Talia is ready as well. ”
Doubt flickered across her face—then hardened into determination.
“I’ve made my peace with what life has offered me,” she whispered.
“I found ways to survive within the system. But I get it, Tina. You’re not meant for this.
I see your fire dimming more each day. You’re slipping.
And as your friend, I won’t allow it. You can count on me.
I’ll speak with Jorius. When you return from the audience, everything will be ready. ”
Her grip on my hand tightened as she offered me a steady look.
“Don’t worry.”
“Thank you, Livia. You and Jorius mean the world to me… tell him goodbye for me.” I whispered, then I lifted my chin. “One final evening of holding my tongue. Of presenting myself as meek and obedient, as if I belong to this system. As if I’ve accepted my place. I will endure it.”
“One more night,” she agreed. “Now let’s prepare you.”
She turned toward the gown and jewels the servants had laid out.
They awaited me like a silent command. The servants moved with quiet precision, unfastening and sliding the gray leathers from my shoulders.
Cool air kissed my skin before silk replaced it—smooth and fluid, clinging as if made for me.
They slid the gown over my hips, fastening it snug beneath my ribs.
The fabric was deep black, almost liquid in the light. It shaped my waist and pressed close to my body, gold tracing the edges in fine lines. The neckline dipped just enough to draw the eye, the silk skimming my breasts without fully baring them, covering what it must and little more.
The skirt fell longer than I expected, brushing my ankles in layers, yet one side opened high along my thigh. When I shifted, my leg was revealed almost entirely before the silk slipped back into place, as if it enjoyed the game of concealment.
They unwrapped the bandage at my forehead with careful hands before lifting my hair and brushing it until it gleamed.
Then they gathered it high upon my crown, twisting and pinning it into place, weaving fine strands of gold through the red until it no longer felt like my own hair at all, but something sculpted and arranged.
A sheer drape was fastened at one shoulder, trailing down my back. Then came the Praetor’s jewels. I fastened the earrings first, the gold cool against my skin, then allowed the necklace to settle at the hollow of my throat. A collar was placed over it, circling my neck in a smooth band of gold.
Cuffs were secured around my wrists, adjusted to conceal my injured wrist where possible. Finally, a delicate chain was draped at my waist, dipping toward the slit of the gown and circling around my thigh, drawing the eye to the bare line of my leg whenever I moved.
Each piece added weight, not enough to burden—but enough to remind me I was part of the system. When I stood, the silk fell around me, clinging and parting with every step. I was covered, yes, but only just.
The woman in the bronze mirror looked regal and polished. Untouchable, and arranged to be seen, not heard. Livia stepped beside me, her eyes steady.
“One final evening,” she murmured.
One final performance.
The moon rose sooner than I liked. Nerves pulsed through me—not only for the gathering, but for the freedom I’d have to secure afterward.
“Let’s find Talia.”
We moved through the hall together, my dress whispering along the floor behind me.
When we stopped before Talia’s door, I exhaled slowly, the weight of the decision pressing in on me.
If I told her, she could betray us to Marcus.
If she didn’t—and wanted to come—it would be my fault if we were caught. If something happened to her…
I straightened, forcing the doubt down, and glanced at Livia. She gave a small nod. I lifted my hand and knocked.
We waited. No answer. The faint scent of fire reached me instead, a flicker of light beneath the door. She had been here. Not long ago.
“Talia?” I called. “It’s Valentina and Livia. May we come in?”
Silence.
Worry tightened my spine. I hadn’t seen her at breakfast.
“Maybe she’s sleeping,” Livia whispered, pushing the door open slightly. It edged inward just enough for me to see through the narrow gap—
—and my stomach dropped.
I shoved the door open, the hinges slamming back against the wall as I stumbled inside.
Talia hung in the center of the chamber.
A thick rope cut deep into her neck, her body slack, her dark eyes empty—lifeless in the same way her brother’s had been.
My stomach heaved. I barely made it to the corner before I vomited, the taste burning my throat as Livia’s scream tore through the room behind me.
Footsteps thundered in the hall. Bondwards rushed in—Mira and Iris among them, their voices breaking into shrill cries.
“Oh goddess,” Livia sobbed. “Someone find Marcus, go!”
We stumbled back into the Atrium together, a cup of water was pressed into my hands though I barely remembered taking it.
We sank onto the sofa side by side, the others gathering around us in silence.
Even Lucina said nothing. There were even fewer of us now.
The number of warriors without Bondwards was growing.
My hands curled into fists as tears blurred my vision. I couldn’t hold it in anymore. The dread, the horror. It broke loose all at once. Around me, the others were unraveling too, low sobs filling the space as they leaned into one another for comfort.
The door slid open and Marcus entered. He was already dressed for the evening, every inch of him composed and immaculate, but whatever anticipation had once been there was gone. His expression was severe as he looked over us.
“Talia was a Bondward of high standing. She will be sorely missed. I implore you now—if there is anything amiss, come to me. Every problem can be resolved. No one needs to suffer alone. We can’t afford to lose any more of you,” he said.
His words twisted my stomach further and I was grateful it was already empty. Perhaps they were meant well. But they didn’t reach me.
Talia had taken her own life because her brother was gone, killed by his command.
He’d been guilty, the notes made that clear, but he hadn’t had a choice.
I didn’t trust Marcus with this. We couldn’t tell him what we had found.
He believed in the system too deeply. Followed Decimus and the Imperator without question.
No… we couldn’t have saved her that way.
But I could have gone to her sooner. Earlier. When she wasn’t at breakfast. I should have looked for her then. Found her before it came to this. I had meant to give her hope. Offer her a way out.
Instead—
I was too late.
My shoulders sagged as grief pressed in, thick and suffocating, but I wasn’t given the space to sink into it. Marcus gestured to Livia. It was time.
At his command, she led me toward the main floor. Tears still clung to our lashes, but her expression hardened as she faced me, and I understood.
She’d make sure everything would be ready tonight. I calmed my breathing, forcing it into something controlled. Just one more evening. I couldn’t afford to break.