Chapter 26 · The Traitor Under the Crown

The voices don't stop.

They're coming from every direction—dozens of them, chanting my mother's name like it's a prayer or a curse. The囚禁者们 hang from chains bolted into the stone ceiling, their eyes white and empty, their mouths moving in perfect sync.

"Elara Moore. Elara Moore. Elara Moore."

I can't breathe. My chest is locked up, and the crown mark on my forehead is burning so hot I think it's going to crack my skull open.

Silas grabs my arm. "Ivy—"

"They know her name." My voice comes out raw. "How do they know her name?"

He doesn't answer. He's staring at the prisoners, and his face has gone tight in a way that means he's calculating something ugly.

The chanting stops.

All at once. Like someone cut the power.

The silence is worse.

Then one of the prisoners—a woman hanging closest to us, her hair matted with blood—tilts her head. Her eyes are still white, but her mouth moves on its own now.

"The crown has returned," she says. Her voice is flat. Dead. "The vessel has opened the gate."

"I didn't open anything," I snap, but my hands are shaking.

Silas steps in front of me.