Page 328 of Heat of the Everflame

“I couldn’t believe it, either. He sounded so scared. When I told him I was mortal, he began weeping. He claimed he’d been imprisoned for helping the rebels and left there to die, but he’d managed to survive on rodents and rainwater. He begged me to help him escape.”

“And you did?” I asked incredulously.

“What else could I do? I couldn’t just walk away. The door was made of godstone, but the hinges were rusted iron, and I was able to break them open.” Her stare went glassy as she lost herself in the memory. “The man I found barely looked human. He was frail and thin, and his skin was grey. Not pale, butgrey—like his body had been drained of its color. He claimed it was from going so long without seeing the sun. I should have known then there was more to the story.

“He was locked with a godstone chain. Nothing I did could break it open, but I had a year ahead of me to keep trying. In the meantime, I brought him fresh food and water and kept him company. Ophiucae was unlike anyone I’d ever met. The simplest stories would fascinate him, and he spoke of his dreams to change our world for the better. He was charming, and I was... lonely.”

“You developed feelings for him,” I guessed.

Her cheeks flushed a guilty pink. “I fell fast and hard. With no way to make the contraceptive tonic, I tried to resist, but he was so eager...” Her eyes closed. “Within a few weeks, we were making love. Soon after that, I became pregnant.”

I stood and walked to the fire, gazing into the flames. Sothiswas how I came into the world. Not as a summer romance or adrunken fling, but a tryst in an underground prison between an army spy and a man so dangerous the Crowns had locked him up where they thought he’d never be found.

“Did... did he...” I swallowed hard. “Was he happy about the pregnancy?”

“You cannot imagine how happy. It was all Ophiucae seemed to think about. He would lay for hours with his head against my belly, listening for your heartbeat or feeling for your kicks. He said he’d been dreaming of you for years.”

My heart swelled, and for once, I ignored my guilt and embraced it. He had wanted me. He hadlovedme. What person didn’t want to know that their birth was a precious, desired thing?

I turned back to her, frowning at her somber tone. “Why do you sound like that was a problem?”

She was silent for a moment. “His personality changed. He became obsessed with revenge. He spoke of killing off the Descended and installing himself as king. And he became very possessive. When I left the cell, he would make me vow on your life that I would come back. He was paranoid that I might leave, no matter how much I reassured him. Near the end of the pregnancy...” She flinched and looked at me, the pain of the memories stark on her face. “Are you sure you want to know this, Diem?”

“I needto know, Mother. Even if it hurts.”

Her head hung low. “One day, I tried to go outside, and Ophiucae became violent. He threw me against a wall and said I wasn’t to leave his sight until you were born, but I was able to get away. For weeks, I slept out in the cold, listening to him plead for me to come back. He apologized and said his captivity had made him unwell. He swore that he loved me and would never do it again... I was pregnant and alone. I didn’t know what to do.

“The stress of it sent me into early labor. I was afraid of him, but I was more scared of what might happen if I tried giving birth on my own. When a blood sun rose at dawn, it felt like a sign that if I made the wrong choice, I might lose you forever. I prayed to the Old Gods to protect us both, then I went back down to his cell and told him you were coming. Ophiucae became just like his old self again. He made no demands, and he did everything I asked. When you finally made your appearance, he was overjoyed. I believed he’d really changed.”

My throat strained with the burn of emotion, a stray tear breaking free. I wanted to stop the story here and let that be my only truth—a man who was flawed, but willing to grow. A man who had loved us.

“But he hadn’t changed, had he?” I whispered.

She looked anguished. “When I’d healed enough to walk again, he insisted I leave to get some fresh air. I thought he was trying to earn back my trust. I left you asleep and went outside, but as soon as I walked away, a feeling in my gut told me something was wrong. I crept back down to the cell, and I saw Ophiucae standing over you with my godstone knife.” She shuddered, squeezing her eyes closed. “I’ll never forget seeing the tip of that blade over your tiny heart. If I’d been one minute later...”

Her voice choked up. I returned to her side, pulling her close, and she swiped at her tears.

“The rest is a blur. He gave me some absurd story about needing your blood to unlock his chains. I refused, and we fought, and I managed to steal back the blade. He tried to grab you, and I panicked, and I—I stabbed him in the heart.” Her head sank. “I took you and ran, and I never went back. When the time came to leave, I lied to the King and claimed I hadn’t known I was pregnant when the mission began.”

I barely heard her, my thoughts caught on one detail. “Ophiucae wanted my blood?”

“He said he wanted me to pour it on a rock and break some curse. All of it was nonsense, utter madness.”

“It wasn’t,” I breathed. “I think he was right.” We both pulled back, and my wide, stunned eyes mirrored hers. “There’s a stone in the Kindred’s Temple where the Crowns shed their blood for every ritual. When my blood touched it at my coronation, something went wrong. The stone broke, and—”

“The tremor just before the bombs went off,” she said, her face lighting up with realization—then darkening with horror. “All those months I thought I was alone... by the Flames, Ophiucae was there the whole time.”

“He must have escaped during the attack.” I blew out a long breath. “No wonder he hates the Descended.”

I didn’t say it aloud, but a part of me was darkly sympathetic. If someone had buried me alive, I might come out on the other side with a thirst for vengeance, too.

“Who else knew what happened?” I asked.

“No one. Not even Andrei.”

“Did he know you were a spy?”

“If so, he never acknowledged it. We’d both done things in the army we couldn’t discuss. We had an understanding to leave it behind in Fortos.” A heavy sorrow dragged on her features. “We were focused on our future together, not our past apart.”

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