Page 153 of The Gilded Cage

Not now that he knew who she was. Kiva couldn’t finish the sentence, her voice cracking on the words.

“That’s not actually our intention. But don’t worry, you won’t be staying here for long,” Mirryn said, humor threading her tone. “Just until — ah, here she comes.”

Another set of footsteps was echoing down the passage, and then Zuleeka was striding into view, still dressed in her navy gown but now with a dark cloak over it, her face solemn.

“Hello, sister,” she said, stopping beside Mirryn. “You’ve had quite the day.”

Kiva swallowed, unable to reply.

Zuleeka turned to the princess. “Give us a moment.”

Mirryn looked like she was about to object, but then dipped her head and relented. “Call when you’re ready for me. I’ll be right outside.”

Kiva didn’t know what the words meant, but an anxious knot swelled in her middle as Mirryn walked away.

Zuleeka waited until the princess was out of hearing range before she said, “I told you I’d explain some things the next time we were alone.”

“Do you really think I want to hear anything you have to say?” Kiva rasped, unable to hide the depth of her pain. “All you’ve done is lie to me.”

Zuleeka was unmoved. “I’m not the one who betrayed our family.”

Kiva pressed closer to the bars. “You’re such a hypocrite,” she hissed. “You’re angry at me for everything with Jaren, when you’ve been working with a Vallentis all along.”

“You don’t know what you’re taking about,” Zuleeka shot back. But she said nothing more.

Glaring at her, Kiva said, “Tell me what you came here to say, then leave. If I ever see you again after that —”

“You’ll what?” Zuleeka asked in a taunting voice. “What will you do, Kiva? Will you hurt me with that healing magic of yours?” She raised her hand and summoned a tendril of darkness. “I’d like to see you try.”

Kiva recoiled at the memory of what it had felt like to be trapped by that awful power.

Zuleeka snorted, dropping her hand again. “You’re pathetic. Mother never should have bothered trying to get to you in Zalindov. But if she hadn’t, I wouldn’t have Mirraven in my pocket, so at least her sacrifice was worth something.”

Kiva froze. “What?”

“The bargain Mother made with Navok — I said I’d tell you, and believe what you want about me but I rarely go back on my word.” Zuleeka brushed invisible dirt from her shoulder before revealing, “Mother allied the rebels with Mirraven. With Caramor, too, since they’re so tightly joined, though her deal was with King Navok only.” As if to herself, she murmured, “He’snot going to like what happened in the warehouse today, but he should’ve had more patience. Those idiots could’ve ruined everything.”

Heart pounding as Zuleeka’s words repeated in her ears —Mother allied the rebels with Mirraven— Kiva ignored everything else to ask through numb lips, “What deal?”

“Evalon’s defenses are too strong for the northern territories to invade without inside help,” Zuleeka said. “So we — the rebels — will be the help.”

Kiva struggled against her growing alarm. It sounded like Zuleeka was planning to aid Navok in taking over Evalon. But —

“Why would Mother make that promise if she wanted the kingdom for us?” Kiva asked, confused.

“Her anger was enough that she would’ve been happy just to unseat the Vallentis family, even if she couldn’t take the throne from them herself,” Zuleeka said. “When she left us to make the deal with Mirraven, she’d been working for years with little to show for it, and she was becoming sick enough that she knew she had to make a choice. She decided that allying with Navok would be the fastest way to get vengeance. But despite that, she still did everything she could to make sure there would be a Corentine ruling by his side.”

It took a moment for Kiva to understand, but when she did, she gasped aloud. “Are you saying — are youmarryingKing Navok? Was that part of the deal?”

Zuleeka’s hands clenched into fists, the only indication of how she felt about the arrangement. But all she said was, “Mother didn’t know about the Royal Ternary — she didn’t know there might be another legitimate way. Even with it, there could still be problems, so Mirraven’s forces will guarantee the citizens of Evalon fall into line. The armies, too. Either way, a Corentine will be on the throne. That’s what matters.”

The backup plan Princess Mirryn had mentioned — it wasMirraven.

Gods.Gods.

Jaren had been right all those nights ago when he’d shared his concerns about the northern kingdoms.

But he’d been wrong to underestimate the rebels.

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