The Throne Room.
Oredison Palace, Gazda.
Sanctus Melynda—Kai's Trial.

Seeing Britta Warwick sitting on Viera's throne was strange. They looked so similar, that at a glance, one queen could be mistaken for another. But as I took my seat next to Nadia in the balcony, I reminded myself that Britta was not Viera. She was her own person.

She'd listened to Isla and allowed her to break off her engagement with Justinian so she could be with Annalise. She'd sent Darragh away after she'd found out what he'd tried to do to us. I needed to believe that she would give Kai what compassion she could muster.

As soon as I took my seat, Nadia's hand wrapped in mine. Healing warmth pulsed through me, soothing the still yellowing bruise on my cheek, the almost faded scar on my forehead, the nearly gone scratches on my thighs. The bullet wounds. I'd grown so used to these small jolts of healing throughout the day, that I hardly noticed her doing it anymore.

Bile rose in my throat, pressing against the waves of healing she was coaxing through my body as the guards pulled Kai to a stop before Britta's throne. I balled my free hand in the skirt of my dress, the sweat of my palms making the fabric stick to my skin. Nadia's glanced to me and then looked to where Cohen stood.

He stood to his sister's left. While Britta kept her expression a mask of bland indifference, Cohen's royal mask had fallen away weeks ago and he'd never picked it up again. Emotion aged his face slightly and shone in his blue eyes. He'd always been a man, but we were all so young that it was easy to forget. Looking at him just then, he looked like a young man. Like a soldier. And yet there was a vulnerability, a sort of deep rooted sadness, about him that I'd never seen on his face before, it made me nervous.

He watched as his half-brother waked to the base of dais.

The only sound in the room was the resounding crack of Kai's knees against marble as the guards shoved him down. I winced and Nadia's hand tightened around mine. On my other side, Heidi only pursed her lips and leaned towards the railing, enraptured.

Britta's voice echoed around the throne room as she said, "State your given name."

I held my breath.

But Kai didn't hesitate, he didn't even lift his gaze to meet her's as he said, "Kaius Reid Callahan."

Britta tilted her head slightly the only sign that he'd surprised her. To her right, a Synod member I didn't recognize shifted on his feet. He muttered something under his breath, but Kai didn't look up at him. From my vantage point, I couldn't see all of his face, just his profile, so I didn't know exactly where he was looking, but it wasn't anywhere near Britta's eyes.

He was playing it safe. Between Vayelle, Erydia, Haniver, and Pellarmus, there were four different cultures and sets of royal etiquette gathered in this room. There was also the Synod and the press, a few select courtiers, and citizens who'd been able to find a way into the room to watch. There were so many people to please. Naturally someone would find something offensive.

Some here might see Kai's lack of eye contact as a sign of disrespect—it seemed the Synod member felt that way—but Britta didn't. She only leaned back in her throne and tapped a finger along the onyx arm of it. The Synod member leaned closer to her, still whispering. She lifted a hand and waved him away.

The man blanched and stepped back from her throne.

After a second, Britta turned her attention back to Kai. "Callahan," she said quietly, as if this were a conversation just between the two of them and not a spectacle. "Not Warwick?"

His gaze remained locked on the steps of the dais as he answered, "I'm not a Warwick, Your Majesty."

"Not a Warwick?" She scoffed. "Your actions over the last few months—likely years—have shown you believe otherwise."

"My actions over the last few years have been wrong and misguided. I have no real excuse for them. But, Queen Britta, I am not a Warwick. My name is Kaius Callahan."

"Then what are you?"

"I'm—" He paused, seeming to collect himself. "I'm a bastard. That's all I could ever be. As Prince Cohen pointed out not so long ago, my father—" Kai shook his head, correcting himself. "King Malcolm Warwick never claimed me. He never gave me his name. How then could I be a Warwick?"

Cohen looked as if he's been slapped.

Britta exhaled a deep breath. "Then what claim do you have to the throne, if not by name or birthright?" The question was so simple phrased, her expression so mildly curious. As if she couldn't think of the answer for herself. And I knew it for what it was—an offering.

Kai seemed to notice the shift in Britta's voice too, because his head darted up, just for an instant. Britta flinched, almost imperceptibly as he met her eyes. She looked away first and when Kai answered her question, his eyes were on the steps again. "I have no claim to the throne."

He'd barely finished saying it before whispers filled the throne room. The line of Synod members seated to the right hand side of the throne all seemed to awaken at once—leaning over each other to speak in hushed voices. The buzz of worried chatter grew to a frightening din. I realized then that whatever the crowd had expected, this wasn't it.

Maybe they thought he'd be defiant. Perhaps the public had anticipated a fight, a challenge. Afterall, Britta might be a queen in Pellarmus, but she was only a princess in Erydia. Technically speaking, until Kai abdicated or he was killed, she sat on his throne.

But Kai didn't want it.

Britta held up a hand to silence the crowd. The whispers died out slowly but the tension in the room didn't ebb. Nadia's hand around mine was painfully tight.

She waited until the room was silent and then Britta leaned forward on the throne, her hands tightening on the arms of it. The black stone glittered between her curled fingers. For a moment, she just looked at him. Her blue eyes roamed his kneeling form as if searching for something. Next to her, Cohen had grown still. This was an impasse.

Or perhaps it wasn't.

Britta pursed her lips and glanced around the room, looking uncertain for the first time. When her attention alighted on Cohen, he held her gaze. She didn't look away from Cohen as she said, "Kaius Callahan, if you are not sovereign of Erydia, then who is?"

He was silent for a long moment—long enough that the Synod began whispering to one another again. They fell silent as Kai lifted his head and squared his shoulders, looking fully at his siblings for the first time. Cohen met his stare. But Britta was still looked at her younger brother, as if waiting to see what Cohen would do.

As if she were leaving this up to him.

"Tradition would dictate that the eldest male heir should hold the throne." Kai hesitated, just an instant. Dark curls fell over his brow, sticking to his forehead with sweat as he turned slightly to look at Cohen. When he spoke again, his voice didn't waver. "And since I am not a Warwick, I believe the crown would fall to Prince Cohen."

The crowd around us erupted in whispers. People started talking over one another.

But Kai wasn't done speaking. His voice rose, as he fought to be heard over the crowd. "But—But perhaps the time for tradition has passed. Perhaps this is a new era. One in which..." He looked to Britta. "One in which Erydia might be blessed with a ruler who may choose to purchase the crown with compassion, rather than bloodshed."

Britta's lips twitched, the mere ghost of a smile. It was so like Viera, that it sent a chill down my spine. "And who might that ruler be?"

"It isn't my place to say," Kai said simply. "But it certainly isn't me. Since I'm not a Warwick."

Beside the throne, Cohen made a little sound—almost a laugh. The Synod member standing next to Britta looked ready to intercede, to call everything to order and make the judgement himself, but he remained silent.

Britta made a show of considering Kai, of considering the crowd gathered around them. When she spoke again, her voice held an edge to it. "And—Kaius Callahan—would you be willing to publicly proclaim your loyalty to the next ruler of Erydia and denounce any claim you may have to the throne?"

"Any claim I may have to the throne is already denounced, Your Highness. I am—" He swallowed and bowed his head, turning his gaze back to the tiles at his feet. "I am your subject and I wish to be nothing more than that."

"Naturally," she said. "But would you be willing to speak publicly on that and sign over any claim you may currently have to the throne?"

He nodded, his eyes still on the floor. "I would do whatever you ask of me."

She studied him. "And what—what do you say in response to the claims that you are a traitor? What will you say in defense of your actions in taking the throne by force? What would you say in defense of yourself when the deaths of individuals such as Harper Vance and Uriel Warwick are linked to your treasonous, terrorist actions?"

Kai's throat bobbed and I saw him chew on the words, consider what he wanted to say. "I would first...I would first say that I didn't claim the throne out of a desire to rule, not when the time came. I—I made decisions in an effort to protect people I cared about. I will not lie and say that my choices were right. They were not justified. I will only attempt to defend them because you ask for a defense. I'd truly rather not defend them at all."

"I'd like a defense," Britta said. "As would my Synod. And I believe Erydia deserves one as well."

"My choices were those of a coward and not of a true king. My claim to the throne is and has always been illegitimate. I'm a bastard and nothing more than that. I allowed threats and the coercion to dictate my decisions. I allowed myself to be put on a throne I had no right to take. I was a puppet used for a far larger game. Those—Those are not good excuses and they are certainly not adequate reasons for anything that has happened or anything I have done." He swallowed and glanced up at her. "Your Majesty, those are mistakes I will not make twice."

Britta was quiet for a long moment, even the throne room seemed to still. Then she said, "And what of my sister?"

Kai's shoulders slumped. "I didn't intentionally endanger Princess Uriel or Miss Vance. Their deaths were not in my control and...and if I'd been given the chance to save them or change their fate I would have gladly done so. Princess Uriel was not chained to that throne by my hands or by my will. You...I believe you should ask Princess Larkin the same question and hear her answer." There were gasps in the crowd. Some accused Kai of being a liar. Britta lifted a hand to silence them, but Kai continued, undeterred. "The key to Uri's—To Princess Uriel's chains was with her, not with me."

He paused for a moment and I could tell he was trying to keep his composure. This—admitting all of this to her, a stranger, someone who should be his family—was not easy. Especially not when he knew she was weighing his worth. What would send the better message, his death or his pardon?

After a moment, he said, "As for Miss Vance...I considered Harper a friend. She was an ally when I was..." Kai shook his head. "She gave me a voice and helped me to gain some freedom. She wanted a true interview and I gave it to her. I exchanged my testimony—which has already been printed and distributed—for her help getting a hostage out the palace. This hostage was one of the last things keeping me from being able to fight back against the individuals who were controlling me—"

"What individuals?" There was no kindness in Britta's voice now.

But Kai didn't let any emotion show as he said, "My uncle, Mirren Caine, and my grandfath—my aunt's father, Peter Graves." He paused, just long enough to let the throne room fill with whispers and then he continued, "Harper knew the risks. Each time she came into the palace she knew there was a chance she wouldn't make it out."

Britta inhaled a slow breath and let it out. "She was executed on your decree."

"Harper was executed on my uncle's decree. On Kinsley's decree. I didn't know she'd been found out until she was in the arena and by then—by then I couldn't save her. I did, however, try."

She shook her head, dismissive. "Even if your uncle made the decision, it was done in your name."

Kai met her gaze and held it, unflinching. "It was done in the name of Kaius Reid Warwick. And he does not exist. He has never existed."

She pursed her lips. "Yes, so we've said." She cleared her throat. "And what of these individuals controlling you. This uncle and grandfather you spoke of. Where are they now?"

"Caine is in your prisons, badly burned and soon to be on trial. And Graves is dead."

"Dead?"

"Yes."

"How so?" Britta asked.

"He found out information that I couldn't allow to be shared, so I dealt with him."

"What information?"

"After Harper's execution in the arena, I found out that my grandfather had been on a team that had helped torture her for information. He'd found out where safe houses were and about rebel operations in Gazda. Information about Monroe Benson's possible whereabouts. I killed him and the three men who helped him torture her. Afterward, I destroyed the notes they'd taken and the documents that they'd planned to give to my uncle later that evening."

"You kill them all?"

"The alternative was allowing Caine to find out where rebels were hiding in the city. If there was any chance of this ever ending, that couldn't happen."

"And who was responsible for that? Kaius Warwick or Kaius Callahan?"

Kai's shoulder's slumped, his posture defeated as he said, "Callahan, Your Highness. I am not a Warwick"

Cohen shifted on his feet and Britta's eyes snapped to him. "Sister," he said, his voice an echoing whisper, "I would advise leniency."

Britta frowned and turned away from him. "Do you deny the accusations of treason placed on you?"

"No, Your Majesty," Kai said. "I would never deny them. I would only argue that any and all accusations lay squarely on the shoulders of a ghost—a smoke screen. A charade. The last few months have not been under my control. Anything done in the name of Kaius Warwick should be considered invalid. He is a sham. He is a lie. I will not deny my involvement, because I was certainly used and I was often aware of what was being done. But I also can't truthfully claim to have had any control over the decisions that were being made in my—in the name of Kaius Warwick. I may have sat on the throne, but Mirren Caine was king. He has been king for months."

"And why did you not fight him initially?"

Kai's hand flexed in front of him and he inhaled a deep, steadying breath. "Initially because he was beating and burning and torturing the woman I love. And he had...he had others I care about near him. Like the woman who raised me. And he was hurting them. Using them to manipulate me and keep me compliant. Or at least to keep me behaving in the public eye. I was able to get all of them out except for one. He still had Ruthie—she's a healer from Third Corps. And he would hurt her too. So I couldn't do anything without someone else being harmed. Always. He knows I don't care about pain. And he needed me to look well on cameras and in public. So he hurt everyone else I loved to keep me in line. That's why I didn't fight right away. It's also why I worked with Harper. It's why I was able to shoot at Kinsley in the arena and kill Graves once Harper was gone. Because then there was no one left for them to hurt but me."

Britta fiddled with a ring on her finger. "I believe I have heard all I need to hear." She nodded and the guards on either side of Kai stepped forward. They pulled him to his feet and shoved him roughly towards the throne, so he was standing directly before his sister.

My palm was damp with sweat as Heidi reached over and took my other hand. Both goddess-touched girls held tight to me—and I knew, despite how they may feel about Kai, they wanted what was best for me. They wanted my heart intact.

Britta stood from the throne and looked down on Kai. The throne room fell deathly silent. Her voice echoed loud against the high ceiling of the throne room; each word of the proclamation as ancient and unbreakable as the goddess herself.

"Kaius, you have come here today to receive your sentencing in regards to your treason against the Kingdom of Erydia, the deaths of countless innocents, your illegitimate claim to the Erydian throne, your incitement of a rebellion, and your actions during your time in our country. After hearing your defense and receiving the sound council of Prince Cohen and goddess-touched girl, Monroe Benson—who both previously testified in favor of your actions and your character—I have come to a decision. Because of your denouncement of any claim to the throne and your services in helping to capture the tyrant, Mirren Caine...I do not find you guilty." She nodded to the guards. "Kaius Callahan may go free."

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So uh, what if I told you that the last few chapters were a fever dream and she's still unconscious after the fight in the ballroom 😅💀 haha ehhhh

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