Chapter 206
Wake storms into the room, his entire body vibrating with tension, his presence as suffocating as the weight pressing down on my chest. His eyes are sharp as they scan me from head to toe, taking in every bruise, every scrape, every exhausted line on my face.
The damp robe clings to my skin, still heavy with the bathwater I barely had time to absorb, and Wake sees it all. His fists clench, his breathing is uneven, his rage barely contained. "What happened? Where the hell did you go?"
I exhale, holding up a hand. "Calm down, I'm safe. There are children in the house."
His jaw tightens, but he takes a step back, nodding stiffly to Leia, though his eyes never leave mine. "Pardon the intrusion."
Too little, too late.
Leia and I both sense the shift in the air, the impending storm that’s about to break loose. We exchange a worried glance before asking, almost in unison, "Why?"
The door opens wider, and the answer strides in. A contingent of royal guards, their armor gleaming dully in the dim lighting, file into the small space, their presence overwhelming. Their expressions are severe, their weapons at the ready, though they make no move to draw them. Then, through the gap, Cora rushes forward, her face pale with worry, her breaths uneven as though she had been running through the city herself. She pulls me into a crushing hug, her grip fierce, unyielding.
"Thank the gods," she murmurs, squeezing me tightly. "We thought—"
The moment is cut short when another figure enters, regal and commanding. Khale.
Leia gasps, her entire body going rigid. Then, without hesitation, she sinks to the floor, her tail curling beneath her in a deep curtsey. "Dawn King!"
Khale’s expression is unreadable, his golden gaze shifting between Leia and me. "Rise. Tell me how Phoebe came to be in your home."
Leia swallows hard, her gaze flicking nervously between me and Khale, her hands trembling at her sides. She struggles to find the words, looking between all of us as though worried she’s about to be punished for some crime she didn’t commit.
I step forward, clearing my throat. "Leia found me while I was making my way back to the palace. She had nothing to do with my disappearance."
Wake’s hands curl into fists at his sides, his fury barely restrained. "Then who did? When I woke up, you were gone, and there were three dead guards throughout the palace."
Leia gasps, pressing a hand to her mouth. My stomach tightens, the weight of everything hitting me again. "Maybe we should have this conversation in private."
Khale nods, his expression grim, then turns to Leia. "Thank you for your kindness to the Twilight’s Heir. I am in your debt. Please, allow my guards to repair whatever they broke in their haste to ensure Phoebe’s safety."
Leia dips her head, still wide-eyed, before hurrying from the room.
Once we are alone, I take a deep breath and tell them everything. The conch. The trance. Kota’s attempt to use me. How I ended it. Where they can find his body.
Wake pulls me to his side, his grip almost bruising, his entire body taut with restrained violence. But I don’t push him away. His voice is low, rough, tinged with something darker than just rage. "I don’t understand how I slept through all of it."
I lift a hand to his chest, feeling the way his heart pounds beneath my palm. "It wasn’t your fault. Kota’s conch—it had power. It forced you into sleep. You couldn’t have stopped it."
Wake’s eyes darken further, his body practically vibrating with restrained fury, but he nods slightly, his jaw tightening with the effort to contain himself.
Khale folds his arms, his expression grave. "We’ll need to go through the palace treasury. There’s no telling what else is hidden in there."
Cora shifts her weight, crossing her arms. "That might be something for Kelis to do."
I blink, startled. "Kelis?"
Khale grimaces. "He’s much tamer now that he’s lost an arm and a leg. He’s agreed to life on probation."
Wake scoffs. "And your father?"
Khale’s expression hardens, his golden eyes sharp with authority. "He’ll have his trial. Any final decisions will be made then."
It feels like the right moment to share what I learned. "There’s more. The mines. The Darklite. I spoke with Leia, and she confirmed it—healthy young men sent into the mines, and many of them don’t stay healthy for long."
Cora’s brows furrow. "And they’re mining Darklite?"
I nod. "But that’s not all. Leia’s husband saw someone come to collect a shipment. The ship they left on wasn’t anything Ao has seen before. Sleek, strange metal. Like it didn’t belong in the water."
A heavy silence falls over the room.
"Enigma," Wake says darkly, his voice a growl of recognition.
Khale rubs his jaw, his expression unreadable. "That confirms it. Raif was responsible for the mines in Hale, and now in Ao. The question is, why was he working with Enigma? What the hell did they want with Darklite?"
Cora exhales sharply. "More importantly—how long have the sirens been working with them?"
The room remains quiet for a long moment, the weight of our discoveries sinking in. The implications are too big to ignore, too dangerous to set aside for later.
Wake’s grip on my waist tightens as he mutters, "Whatever it is, we need answers. And fast."
Khale nods, his expression dark. "Then we start now."
I take a deep breath, steadying myself. The battle in the arena had been one thing, but this—this war that has been building beneath our feet, out of sight—was only just beginning.
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