Kael’s POV
By the time this is over, Zari will understand what it truly means to cross the future king. And if she has harmed one hair on Elara’s head, she will pray for the mercy of a quick death.
A mercy I have no intention of granting.
Blood coats my hands. My arms. The front of my shirt, where arterial spray caught me as I tore out that guard’s throat with my bare fingers.
The Tashina estate’s main hallway is a gallery of c*****e. Bodies litter the marble floor—servants who tried to flee, guards who thought their loyalty meant something. The white stone walls are painted red now, abstract patterns that speak of violence and rage.
I step over a corpse, boots squelching in the spreading pools. The metallic scent of blood mingles with the acrid stench of burned magic. Some of the wit
