The next morning, I woke to find Kael already gone from our bed. For a moment, panic seized me—had something happened? Had someone taken him in the night?—but then I heard water running from the adjacent bathing chamber and forced myself to breathe.
I was still adjusting to this constant state of vigilance, to always assuming the worst because assuming the worst had kept me alive. It was exhausting.
"You're awake," Kael said, emerging with his hair still damp from washing. He was already dressed in formal attire, though he hadn't yet added the ceremonial pieces that marked him as a prince. "I didn't want to wake you. You were sleeping peacefully for once."
"So were you. Eventually." I sat up, pulling the covers around myself. Despite everything we'd been through together, I still felt somewhat self-conscious about my state of undress in the bright morning light. "What time is it?"
"Early. But we have a meeting with Captain Thorne and Elena in an hour, and you'll want to eat something first." He moved to the wardrobe, pulling out one of the practical dresses I'd requested from the seamstresses. Gone were the elaborate gowns I'd arrived in; now my clothes were designed for movement and functionality, with hidden pockets for weapons and fabric that wouldn't impede running or fighting if necessary.
"You're picking out my clothes now?" I asked, amused despite the tension.
"I'm trying to be helpful. Would you prefer I leave you to dress alone?"
"No, actually. I appreciate it." I took the dress from him. "Though I'm perfectly capable of choosing my own clothing. I've been doing it for exactly three weeks now, and it's been revolutionary."
He smiled at that, understanding the deeper meaning. In Eldoria, I'd never been allowed to choose anything about my appearance. Every detail had been decided by others—the servants who dressed me, my mother who approved or disapproved, my father whose opinion mattered most. Having autonomy over something as simple as what I wore was still a novelty.
"I'll step out while you change," Kael said, turning toward the door.
"You don't have to. We're married." The words felt strange in my mouth, this casual acknowledgment of our bond. "And besides, I'll need help with the laces in the back."
He turned back, something warm in his expression. "All right then."
I changed quickly, efficient from years of practice even without Mira's help. Kael did help with the laces, his fingers gentle but sure, and I found myself enjoying the simple domestic intimacy of it. When we'd first arrived at Castle Shadowmere, I would have been mortified by this kind of closeness. Now it felt natural, comfortable in a way I'd never imagined marriage could be.
"There's something I need to tell you," I said as he finished with the laces. "Something I realized last night while going through Morgana's journal."
"What is it?"
"Several of the names she listed as suspected agents are people who have regular access to our chambers. Servants who bring meals, clean the rooms, tend the fires. If they're compromised, they've been watching us constantly, reporting everything we say and do."
Kael's expression darkened. "We should have realized that sooner. Of course Daemon would place people close to us."
"Which means everything we've said in these rooms, every plan we've discussed, Daemon probably knows about." I felt sick at the realization. "He knows about Elena being here. He knows we have Morgana's journal. He knows we're planning to use false information to draw out his agents."
"Unless," Kael said slowly, "we've been more careful than we realized. Think about it, Elara. Every significant conversation we've had about the investigation has been either in the archives, in the training room, or in the secure room where we met Elena. Never here in our chambers where servants could overhear."
He was right. We'd instinctively kept our most sensitive discussions to places that felt more secure, even before we'd consciously realized why. But that didn't mean we were safe from all surveillance.
"We still need to identify which servants are compromised and replace them with people we trust," I said. "Mira arrives from Eldoria today with the rest of my personal belongings. I trust her completely. She can coordinate with Captain Thorne to screen the other servants."
"Good idea. In the meantime, we continue as if we don't suspect anything. Let the compromised servants think we're unaware of their surveillance."
We ate a quick breakfast in our chambers, making small talk about meaningless court business while actually communicating through meaningful glances and subtle gestures we'd developed. To anyone listening, we were discussing the weather and what I should wear to the afternoon court session. In reality, we were confirming our plans for the meeting with Elena and how we'd implement our strategy for exposing Daemon's agents.
Captain Thorne arrived precisely on time to escort us to the meeting. We took a circuitous route through the castle, using some of the servant corridors and back passages that most nobles never saw. I was reminded again of the secret passages Kael had shown me yesterday. We'd need to explore those more thoroughly soon. They could be invaluable for moving unseen.
Elena was waiting in the same secure room as before, looking tired but alert. She'd clearly not slept well either, and I felt a pang of sympathy for her. She'd spent fifteen years carrying an impossible burden, and now she'd finally taken action, but that action meant placing herself directly in danger.
"Thank you for coming," she said as we entered. "I've been thinking about what we discussed yesterday. I have a proposal."
"We're listening," Kael said, taking a seat across from her. I sat beside him, close enough that our shoulders touched. That small contact had become important to both of us, a reminder we weren't alone.
"Morgana's journal gives us names and suspicions, but what we really need is concrete proof of Daemon's network. Evidence that would stand up to scrutiny and couldn't be dismissed as the paranoid fantasies of a murdered woman." Elena spread several documents on the table between us. "I've been documenting the old families' interactions with Daemon for years. Correspondence, meeting notes, records of resources he requested and received. This isn't everything—I didn't dare keep too much in one place—but it's a start."
I leaned forward, examining the documents. They were extensive. Letters in what must be Daemon's handwriting, discussing plans and timelines. Records of shadow beasts being summoned and directed to specific locations. Lists of agents and their assigned tasks.
"This is incredible," I said. "This is exactly what we need to prove the conspiracy exists. But Elena, why didn't you come forward with this before? Years ago, when you first realized what Daemon was doing?"
"Because coming forward meant exposing my people, all the old family survivors who've been hiding since the Purge. King Aldric would have seen this evidence and concluded that the old families were staging a coup, and he would have sent his forces to wipe us out completely." Elena's voice was heavy with old pain. "I chose to protect my people even if it meant allowing Daemon to continue his plans. I'm not proud of that choice, but I'd make it again if faced with the same situation."
"But now you're risking them anyway by bringing us this information," Kael pointed out.
"Now the situation has changed. Daemon is moving toward his end game. If he succeeds, he won't just kill the royal family. He'll burn everything down, and the chaos that follows will destroy everyone—old families and new alike. The only way to protect my people now is to stop him." Elena met Kael's eyes steadily. "And the only way to stop him is to trust you. To believe that you're different from your grandfather who ordered the Purge and your father who's maintained the persecution. To believe that if you gain power, you'll choose justice over revenge."
The weight of that trust was enormous. I could see Kael feeling it, understanding what Elena was asking of him.
"I can't undo the Purge," he said finally. "I can't bring back the people who were killed or restore everything that was taken. But I can promise you this: if we survive what's coming, if we defeat Daemon and I live long enough to have real power in this kingdom, I will work to make things right. The old families will be recognized, their magic legalized, their place in Shadowmere restored. Not to what it was before—we can't go backward—but to something fair and just."
"That's all I ask." Elena's expression softened. "Arianna would be proud of you. You're more like her than you probably realize."
Kael looked uncomfortable with the comparison, but I squeezed his hand, silently supporting him. He was like his mother in the ways that mattered—in compassion, in the desire for justice, in willingness to fight for what was right even when it was difficult.
"Let's focus on the immediate problem," Captain Thorne said, bringing us back to practicalities. "These documents prove Daemon exists and has been building a conspiracy. But they don't tell us where he is or when he plans to strike."
"I don't know where he is exactly," Elena admitted. "But I know he's been gathering forces in the northern mountains, in the abandoned fortress that used to belong to House Silvermoon before the Purge. And I know he's planning something for the Council of Lords next month. Every High Lord in the kingdom will be gathered in one place, including King Aldric. It's the perfect opportunity for a coup."
"A month," I said, my mind racing. "That gives us time to prepare, to shore up our defenses and identify his agents. But it also means we're operating on a deadline. If we move too slowly, we'll miss our chance. If we move too quickly and tip our hand, he'll accelerate his timeline and we'll be caught unprepared."
"So we move carefully but efficiently," Kael said. "Starting with the servants in our chambers. Elara, when does Mira arrive?"
"This afternoon. I'll have her start screening the current servants immediately, using the names from Morgana's journal. Anyone who's suspected gets reassigned to positions where they can't access sensitive information or harm us."
"And what about Lord Ashford?" Captain Thorne asked. "He's highly placed, influential with the King. If he's truly working for Daemon, he could do enormous damage before we're ready to act."
"We feed him false information," Kael decided. "Tell him in confidence that we've given up on investigating my mother's death, that we've decided it's too dangerous to continue. See if that information reaches Daemon. If it does, we know Ashford is compromised and we can plan accordingly."