Chapter 34 · The Army Kneels

"Strike her, Rafe. Do it now, and the throne is yours."

The command cracked across the judgment chamber.

Rafe stood three steps in front of me, his black coat torn at the shoulder. One hand gripped the throne's blade.

It wasn't steel. Its dark edge drank the torchlight and hummed against my skin.

Silver chains locked his wrists to the old execution dais. A blood seal burned beneath his collarbone, bright enough to shine through his shirt.

The Regent leaned over the balcony rail. "You heard me, exile. Kill Helen Vale, and the Directorate gives you command of every army beyond the Ash Frontier. No more prison. No more running. You get the border, the title, and her bloodline's authority."

Rafe's eyes stayed on mine.

"You forgot one thing," he said.

The Regent's mouth tightened. "What?"

"She isn't yours to hand over."

The blade lifted.

My pulse slammed against my throat. Not because I thought Rafe wanted me dead.

That would've been easier.

I knew what he wanted. Control. Soldiers. A legal name again. Everything he'd lost when they branded him a traitor and sent him beyond the frontier.

I raised my chin. "Go on, Rafe. Take the deal.