Aria’s/Lysara's POV

Her laugh echoed—shrill, wild, deranged—ricocheting off the throne room walls long after her voice fell silent.

I stared at her, my heart slamming painfully against my ribs, my hands trembling as I gripped the armrests, skull carvings digging sharply into my palms.

Just how important would this secret be that she would sever Roran's head to keep it? What does she mean by if Kael learns of something? Just what is happening?

Roran’s severed head lay a few feet from ...