Page 67 of The Mirror in the Mountain

A shout echoed down the tan stone hallway, then the familiar clang of clashing swords. I drew my dagger on instinct as a guard burst into the room, the black diamond gleaming.

The guard stopped short at the scene before him. “Your Majesty?—”

“Just tell us what’s happening,” Eliav ordered calmly, like he didn’t have two blades at his jugular.

“It’s our own people,” the guard said hurriedly. “The Kingsguard. They’re…it’s a coup.”

Bash swore under his breath, shadows swirling up his arms.

“A coup.” Eliav was nearly expressionless, his voice flat and disbelieving. “Abrahim, are you sure?”

“They are the False King’s,” Abrahim said, glancing behind him as if he expected them to appear at any moment. “And they knowshe’shere.” He nodded meaningfully at me.

Rivan swore. “Of course the False King’s supporters found a hold here again.”

Marin’s eyes flashed. “Iftheyhave Yael?—”

“Then I know where they would’ve taken her. If you’ll remove your blades,” Eliav added silkily. “This appears to be an attack onmyrule.”

Marin’s blades didn’t move an inch. “One that was timed for the visit thatyoudemanded.”

“Something they must have taken advantage of since the False King’s supporters appear to have infiltrated our own Kingsguard,” Noam argued, a hint of shock coloring his tone. “Theymust have taken her.”

Marin’s features were deadly with rage. “And we’re to believe you had no idea that your personal guard was behind this? This wasyourpeople.”

“Not on my orders,” Eliav retorted. “We’re wasting time. If my Kingsguard are truly among the False King’s supporters, they would have known where to lie in wait. We’ve both been betrayed.”

Bash glanced at his sister. “Marin.”

Her blades were sheathed at her sides as quickly as they had appeared. I remembered Yael telling me once that heranimawas the more dangerous of the two of them. The silent way Marin moved, the way those blades had found their mark before I could so much as blink, was more than enough to confirm why.

“I’m going to trust you,” Marin said, eying the Eastern King with utter distaste. “For now. Even after you lured us here into a trap. But if you’re lying—if you hadanythingto do with her capture—I will flay you alive.”

Eliav merely raised a reproachful eyebrow at her, entirely unruffled as he drew his sword.

“Those still loyal to you are gathering in the throne room, Your Highnesses,” Abrahim said. “Though it appears our way back is blocked, if you wish to use the alternative route.”

“Of course,” Eliav said cryptically.

Quickly, I retrieved my sword from where it had been stowed by the door, feeling its pommel sing under my grip as I reattached its sheath to my back—wishing I had decided to dress in my leathers rather than the thin fabric of this dress.

“If our Kingsguard are indeed with the False King, we must move quickly,” Noam said, his brow furrowing. “They’ll likely move any prisoners to the dungeons…and if Yael is as powerful as I remember, they’ll need the iron down there to bind her.”

“Then we need a way down there, and quickly,” Marin snapped. “If they targeted her before Eva and Bash, they’re likely looking for someone to torture for information that they deemed expendable.”

Eliav nodded. “Especially if they see her as a traitor to Esterra for siding with the Southerners.”

Bash’s shadows curled around his sword as if getting ready to strike.

“I will attempt to discourage anyone who decides to come down this hallway,” Abrahim said, bowing to Eliav, then to me.

My eyes widened, but Eliav held up a hand. “Absolutely not. You’re coming with us.”

Abrahim opened his mouth as if to argue, then bowed slightly, closing the double doors behind him. “As you wish, my liege.”

I tensed as flame flickered in his palm before he pressed it against the lock, effectively melting the two doors together.

Rivan let out a low, threatening sound, stepping toward the door, but Eliav held up a hand.

---