Catalina looked at Bastian. "You said the oath-magic would recognize me. That it would respond to my claim. What exactly does that mean?"
Bastian stepped forward into the lamplight, and his eyes were glowing faintly violet. "The Twin Throne Chamber is warded with old magic. Wards that were set when your father and mother performed the Rite of Twin Ascension. Those wards recognize true-blood—the joining of Takeshiro and Shirogane lines."
"But the rite was never completed," Kade said. "Catalina's claim is technically unfinished."
"Technically," Bastian agreed. "But the magic doesn't care about technicalities. It cares about truth. And the truth is that Catalina is the rightful heir. The moment she touches the throne, the wards will respond. They'll recognize her. And everyone in that cham
