Kaelen let me lead him, though his hand stayed loose in mine. Caleb’s accusation had reached an old fear, and one answer in a crowded hall had not settled it.
I turned to Orion. He watched his father with his brows drawn together. The Imperial Chamberlain waited beside the wall, so I nodded to him. “Take the Prince to his chambers. He has had enough excitement for one night.”
The Chamberlain bowed. Orion went with him, looking back once before the side passage closed. At Kaelen’s signal, the guards dismissed the Alphas and secured the damaged doors.
When the last servant left the Great Hall, I tugged Kaelen’s wrist. “Come with me.”
I led him behind the twin thrones to an unadorned stretch of obsidian. My palm found a seam in the stone. A narrow section slid aside, exposing the passage
