Malrik POV

“We’ve set everything in motion,” Vladan said, his words heavy with the burden of the task I had placed on him.

I gave a slow, deliberate nod already thinking past the confirmation to something sharper, more urgent. My gaze slid to Tavian.

“Where does your loyalty lie?” I asked, steady but with an edge that wasn’t spoken.

Tavian’s brow knotted; the question caught him off guard. For the briefest instant something unreadable flickered across his face before he ...