Chapter 12Upon returning to the world of the living, Thea had little time to rest. Almost four days had passed since she had stepped into the dark pool in the mountains. Since then, the palace had been seized by unrest. As she suspected, panic and suspicion had spread through the kingdom within a matter of days when rumors of war began to circulate. Though no one had actually seen Marcus’ execution, his absence from the brothel was noticed. The official explanation for his disappearance was that he had been sent back to Vivarre on one of their ships, but it seemed not everyone believed that.
The council had met twice for long hours to try and decide the best way to defend against the attacks that would certainly come. Demetrius argued that it would not be instantaneous, as Vivarre would n
