Page 47 of Golden Star

Perhaps he’s even crueler than his father.

“Deep beneath the ice, there will be a key.” Riven’s expression is cold, detached, as though he’s discussing something as mundane as a change in the weather. “They’ll need to retrieve it if they want to continue to the second trial.”

The king’s eyes spark with interest.

“Continue,” he says, and Zoey’s grip tightens on my hand.

“If they don’t find the key, they will drown,” Riven says calmly. “Frozen in the lake’s depths forever. A fitting challenge for summer spies who think they can infiltrate our court.”

The king smiles, the wicked gleam in his eyes growing brighter. “Yes, a frozen death beneath the lake,” he says with a chuckle. “What a spectacle.”

But I can’t focus on the king.

All I see is Riven.

I thought… I don’t know what I thought. That there was more to him? That he might care, after everything?

But this—this is the true Riven. The cold prince of ice. His father’s son through and through. And I never should have entertained anything else.

“And the second trial?” the king asks.

Riven’s cold gaze flickers, lingering on me for the briefest moment before he answers. “The second trial—if they make it that far—will test their resolve to continue,” he says. “They’ll cross the old bridge that spans across the ravine. Well—they’lltryto cross. After all, those born from summer don’t particularly thrive on icy surfaces, and the human won’t stand much of a chance. I wonder if Sapphire will jump after her friend falls? Or if she’ll have the heart and strength to continue? We could place bets on it—and on other parts of the trials—to make the stakes more personal.”

“An excellent challenge, and a brilliant idea.” The king laughs, the sound echoing through the throne room like shattering glass. “They’ll see their deaths coming with each step.”

“Precisely,” Riven says. “Fear unlike any they’ve ever experienced.”

I grit my teeth, a growing sense of dread swirling in my chest.

This isn’t just a series of trials. It’s a drawn-out executiondesigned to slowly break us—to watch us fall apart before this realm finishes us off.

“I’m intrigued.” The king walks over to the dead knight’s body and pokes it with his sword. He twists the blade, drawing more blood, then pulls it back out and refocuses on his son. “And the final trial?”

“A hunt through the forest.” Riven steps forward, his cold expression unchanging. “With them, obviously, as the prey. They’ll search for the silver tree that will take them back to the mortal realm, and I’ll lead my knights as we track them through the forest. When we find them, they’ll die. And—make no mistake—if by some slim chance they pass the first two trials and make it that far, wewillfind them. And we will give them a death worthy of your demonstration here today.”

The room silences, the words hanging in the air like a noose tightening around my neck.

Zoey’s nails dig into my skin.

She’s the only thing grounding me to reality. Without her, I’m sure I would have broken long ago. Likely back in that tower.

Malice shines in Riven’s eyes, as if he can’t wait to kill me himself.

Then, he returns his focus to his father.

“I’ll oversee the trials personally,” he says. “You, of course, should remain in the palace. It’s too dangerousfor you to expose yourself to the wilds—especially with the monsters lurking at the borders.”

“You’re proposing I miss out on the fun of seeing the trespassers die?” The king’s voice trembles, on the verge of rage, and he reaches for his sword.

This is it.

He’s going to kill us.

We won’t even have a chance to fight for our lives in these brutal trials.

“I understand your disappointment,” Riven replies smoothly, which seems to placate the king a little bit. “But I must remind you that you don’t have an animal familiar to guide you through the forests and the chaos beyond. Without one, it will be far too risky.”

The king stiffens, and he reaches for the white fur cloak draped over his shoulders. His face darkens, but not with anger. No, this is something deeper. Something fragile and broken.

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