The next morning, Isla entered the throne room with her head held high. She had told Oro her secret and survived.
The king claimed he was a man of his word. Which meant now, the power promised would be hers. All they had to do was find the heart. And now they knew it was on Moon Isle. There were only three locations left. They would search one of them that very night.
They were so very close.
Hope was the only thing keeping her from falling to pieces.
I’m coming for you, she whispered to Terra. I’m coming to save you, just as you trained me to.
Killing was permitted. Isla should have been scared, walking into a meeting with the other rulers of realm. But she wasn’t. She had Oro. Celeste. Grim.
The king had called the rulers together for an update. Isla was safely by his side. Grim appeared next. She hadn’t seen him since the ball, but every night she ran her fingers across her necklace, wondering when she would get the courage to pull the diamond and summon him to her room.
Cleo strolled inside wearing a cape that buttoned down its front, with a slit for her pants-clad legs. She looked at Isla with little interest, but Isla didn’t make the mistake of believing it meant the Moonling didn’t want to kill her. Cleo likely knew she couldn’t get near Isla with Oro as her partner.
Good.
Celeste joined them. Then Azul.
They all stood far away. Their eyes alert. Ready for attack. Ready to wield their powers, should they need to.
Oro finally spoke, his voice filling the room. “It has been sixty days since the start of the Centennial. Would anyone like to share their progress?”
No one said a word. Isla wondered what, or how much, she should say.
They hadn’t discussed the meeting beforehand.
To her surprise, Oro said, “Isla and I have scoured the island for a relic we believe might have been used five hundred years ago. We think wielding it was the original offense, and that its power created the curses.”
The truth. Nearly all of it. She blinked, shocked.
Azul frowned. “What sort of relic could possibly have cast curses?” “One infused with Nightshade power,” Oro said simply.
Again, the truth. Isla stared at him, lips parted. Hadn’t he said he didn’t trust the others? Why hadn’t they discussed this beforehand?
The Skyling ruler whirled to face Grim. “Could such a relic exist?”
Grim had gone still. “It could if it was created long enough ago that a Nightshade ruler could afford to sacrifice a part of their power.”
Azul looked incredulous. “Then shouldn’t we all search for this relic?
Shouldn’t the Nightshade look for it? Perhaps it would call to him.” Isla glared daggers at Oro. Why would he give so much away?
“No,” the king said, his voice absolute. “We cannot take the risk of focusing our efforts on one avenue, should we be incorrect. Not with the urgency of our situation.” He lifted his sleeve, showing them how far the bluish gray had spread. His body was like a map, demonstrating the crumbling of the island. She straightened. At least he had the good sense to keep the others away from their plan. “However,” he said, “I believe it’s time for a change in matches.”
The blood drained from Isla’s face.
Oro turned to the Moonling ruler. “Cleo, would it suit you to be matched so we might search Moon Isle for this relic together?”
Isla wasn’t breathing. A roaring had overtaken her hearing. She had to have heard him wrong . . . had to have misunderstood. Could he even change the matches?
She knew she should have shielded the outrage in her eyes, burning angry holes in Oro’s face. Or the shocked set of her mouth.
But the king did not even turn to look at her.
Cleo’s smile was feline. “Are you sure, King?” she said. “It seemed you and the Wildling were getting along so swimmingly.”
Oro matched Azul and Celeste next. Then Isla and Grim. But she barely heard his voice over the roaring. Her body hardly resisted barreling over the table and slicing the king’s throat with his own crown.
The realization hit her like a boulder to the chest.
Oro had been using her—up until she had become useless. Just as Celeste had warned.
Now that they knew the heart was on Moon Isle, he had changed alliances to suit his plan. He had chosen Cleo.
For the entire time she had known him, every choice Oro had made was for the good of his people. I will do anything it takes to break these curses, he had said.
Even if it meant betraying her.
“Are you really sure, King?” Cleo said, staring at Isla with pursed lips. “I have to admit, I’m suspicious . . . This isn’t just a strategy between you and the Wildling, is it?”
A sprig of hope grew in Isla’s chest. They had worked together for weeks. She had saved his life. He had saved hers. Maybe he wasn’t betraying her. Maybe this was a strategy . . .
Oro’s smile was pure mirth. “I’ll let you in on a secret that might explain my decision,” he said loudly, for all to hear. He turned to look straight at her. “Isla Crown doesn’t have powers.”
The world froze. Then shattered.
She was a fool. A fool for believing the king would let her have the power promised in the prophecy. A fool for believing his promises held any weight. A fool for believing he would keep her secret.
The oracle’s words rang through her head, to the tune of dread.
There are lies and liars all around you, Isla Crown. She had been talking about Oro. Trying to warn her.
Betrayal seared through her stomach, iron being formed into a blade.
She wanted to stab Oro through the heart with it.
Cleo turned to face her, seeming to put together that Isla was unprotected. Alone. Powerless.
She took a step forward—
But before any of the rulers could make a move on her, Grim took her hand and they were gone.
