Chapter 14 · The Dead King Speaks

"You killed them." I don't look away from the black lines crawling under my skin. "All of them."

Carson's still standing three feet back, sword loose in his hand. "Yes."

"How many?"

"Twelve royals. Forty-three guards. The king went last." His voice is flat. No pride. No regret. Just facts. "He begged. Said he'd make me a lord if I let him walk."

The second heartbeat from the vault is louder now. It's syncing with mine, beat for beat, and the black lines are spreading past my elbow. I can feel something waking up inside the stone, something that recognizes me. Something that's been waiting.

"And you didn't."

"I put my blade through his throat and watched him drown in it." He takes a step closer. The edge of his sword catches the red glow from the core. "So yeah, Evelyn. When that screen tagged you kingbreaker, I knew exactly what you were."

I stand up. My legs shake but I lock my knees. "Then why didn't you finish it?"

"Because the tide doesn't care who your daddy was." He's watching the lines on my arm now. His jaw's tight.