Chapter 7 · The Capital's Bride

"Get your hands off him, or I break every finger in this hall."

My knife was already against Lord Hest's throat when Varan slammed into the table behind me.

The contract burned under my skin. Red lines crawled from my wrist to my elbow, hot enough to make my fingers shake. Across the hall, Varan had one hand braced against a pillar and the other clutched over his chest.

His breath came rough.

Kaiser stood three steps away, pale and furious. "Sula, move."

"No."

"His core is splitting again."

"I know what his core is doing. I can feel it."

Every lord in the keep had gone quiet. They had gathered to decide whether to surrender our walls before the royal army reached us. Now they watched their war commander shake apart in front of my knife.

Hest swallowed. My blade pressed closer.

"You said the northern houses should hand Varan and Kaiser over," I said. "Say it again. Go on. Tell them how brave you are."

"I never meant—"

"You meant exactly that. You also put your blood under my name an hour ago."

His eyes dropped to the red mark at his wrist.

I smiled without warmth.