Chapter 45 · My father signed the order

He dragged a hand over his mouth. "My father signed the order."

"To burn it?"

"To remove it from the public archive."

"Why?"

"I don't know."

A bitter laugh escaped me. "You expect me to believe that?"

"I expect you to survive long enough to find out."

A low click sounded beneath the broken floor.

We both froze.

The golden lines raced from the execution ring to the far wall. Black stone split apart and lifted, revealing a narrow metal case wrapped in old royal seals.

Vance went silent.

Carson's face changed.

"No," he said.

I stared at the case. "You know it?"

"Don't touch it."

"A second ago, you told me not to listen to you. Now you're giving orders again?"

"Ivy, don't."

I crouched beside the case.

The top seal showed a crown split down the middle.

The same symbol had appeared beneath my skin in the tribunal. The same shape had burned across my ribs when Carson kissed me under the contract seal.

My fingers hovered over the metal.

Carson caught my shoulder and hauled me back.