Chapter 13 · The Crown Gate Orders Her Death

"Kneel, Mara Vale, or the Crown Gate will erase you where you stand."

The executioner shoved my shoulder down.

My knee hit the black stone. Pain shot up my leg, but I kept my hands locked around the metal seal hidden beneath my sleeve.

"Try it," I said. "Touch the seal and see what wakes up."

The executioner froze.

Across the gate chamber, Calder Vane lifted one gloved hand. His smile never reached his eyes.

"She is bluffing. The royal mark on her skin is forged. The seal in her possession is stolen property. By order of the Crown, Mara Vale is to be memory-nullified and removed from the blood registry."

Behind him, the tribunal guards lowered their crossbows.

Dorian stood between them and me, his warden badge still pinned to his coat. Blood ran down the side of his face from the fight outside, but his eyes stayed fixed on Calder.

"You skipped the part where you explain why your recorder tried to kill us before we reached the gate," Dorian said.

Calder's fingers tightened around his cane. "Warden Rusk, step aside."

"No."

A murmur moved through the chamber.

Calder looked past him at the guards.