Kaelen's POV.
The Shadow Wolves circled me in the freezing mist. I gripped Admiral Vane's silver sword, my knuckles white against the hilt.
"You look confused, Kaelen," Hecate said. She smoothed the front of her black silk dress. "You think this is just a civil war. You think this is about a throne and some borders."
"It's about your greed," I spat. "It's about a mother who would rather rule a kingdom than see her son happy."
"Happy?" Hecate laughed. "Fenrir was never meant to be happy. He was meant to be a vessel. Just like you were, a hundred years ago."
I froze. The sword tip dipped an inch.
"What are you talking about?"
"You think your death in the Black Ridge was an accident? You think Valerius just decided to kill you unprovoked?" Hecate stepped closer. "I paid for those blades. I gave them the poison. "
"You weren't even born then," I said. "That was a century ago."
"Don't be boring, Kaelen. Look at me." She gestured to her face, unlined, porcelain, unwrinkled in a permanent state of beauty. "The Iron Fang has always had a Queen Mother. We don't die, we just change names. I needed the Black Ridge King out of the way so the Iron Fang could expand. You were too impulsive and bad for the business of war."
"You murdered me," I whispered. The memories of the night I died, the flash of the dagger rushed back. "You stole my life."
"And I gave you a new one," she countered. "I was the one who whispered to the Blue Moon King. I told him which spells would drag a powerful soul back into a weak vessel. I chose Linus because he was fragile. I wanted you back, Kaelen. I wanted a legend I could control."
"You can't control me."
"Can't I? Look at what you've done. You've burned the North. You've executed the Council. You've turned the people against the throne. You've done exactly what I needed you to do. You've prepared the Empire for a purge."
"I did it to save Fenrir," I growled.
"And now Fenrir is riding into a gorge to save you," Hecate said. "He's emotional, he's weak. He's exactly what I don't need in an Emperor. Once he's dead, I'll claim the regency. And you? You'll be my pet general. Or I'll put you back in the dirt where I found you."
"I'll kill you first," I said.
I lunged at her.
Although, I was fast, but the Shadow Wolves were faster. Two of them slammed into my ribs, knocking the air out of me as I fell onto the floor. I tried to stand, but a third wolf pinned my sword arm to the ground with a massive paw.
"Be still," Hecate said. She stood over me, looking down with mild interest. "You have so much rage. It's a waste. You're holding onto a past that doesn't exist anymore."
"I remember my people," I wheezed. "I remember Valerius."
Hecate's smile widened. It was the most terrifying thing I had ever seen. "Ah, yes. Your loyal general, your best friend, and your brother. The man who held your hand while you bled out."
"Don't speak his name."
"Why not? He's been very helpful lately."
"He's dead," I said. "He should be dead."
"Is that what the history books say?" Hecate leaned down, her face inches from mine. "Valerius didn't die, Kaelen. He was like me. He wanted more, he wanted the power that you refused to use. He was the one who opened the window for my assassins a century ago."
"You're lying," I shouted. "He loved me!"
"He loved your power. So, we made a deal. I gave him the means to stay young. I gave him a seat at my side. He's been the architect of your misery from the beginning."
"I don't believe you."
"Then ask him yourself."
Hecate stood up and turned toward the mist-shrouded entrance of the tent behind her. "Come out, General. Your King is asking for you."
The mist parted. The Shadow Wolves backed away, lowering their heads in a submissive posture.
A man stepped out of the shadows. He was tall, dressed in black armor that was far more advanced than anything I had seen. He wore a silver cloak, and his hand rested on the hilt of a sword I recognized.
It was the Dragon-Tooth blade.
My blade.
I looked at his face, It hadn't aged a day. The same sharp jawline, the same scar across the left eyebrow from a hunt we had gone on when we were twenty. The same cold, calculating eyes.
"Valerius," I whispered.
"Hello, Kaelen," Valerius said. His voice was exactly the same deep, resonant, and devoid of warmth. "You look terrible. Being a prince doesn't suit you."
I tried to lunge again, but the wolf on my chest pressed harder, claws sinking into my skin. "You... it was you? You let them into my palace?"
"You were going to sign the peace treaty, Kaelen," Valerius said. He walked toward me, his boots clicking on the stone. "You were going to turn the Black Ridge into a nation of farmers. We were the strongest army in the world, and you wanted us to plant wheat. I couldn't let you do that."
"So you killed me?"
"I improved you," Valerius said. He looked at Hecate. "The Emperor is approaching the gorge. The traps are set."
"Good," Hecate said. She looked at me. "Do you see now? Your world is built on lies. Your friend betrayed you. Your lover is about to die. There is nothing left for you but me."
"I'll kill you both," I snarled. "I'll burn this whole world down before I let you touch him."
"You'll watch," Valerius said. He reached down and grabbed me by the back of my neck, hauling me to my feet. He was stronger than I remembered. Much stronger. "You'll watch Fenrir die, and then you'll understand. Power is the only thing that matters."
"He's coming for me," I said, blood dripping from my lip. "He'll tear your heart out."
"He's coming for a boy named Linus," Valerius said, dragging me toward the edge of the cliff overlooking the gorge. "He's going to find a grave."
Valerius forced me to my knees at the edge of the precipice. Hecate stood beside him, her hand on his shoulder.
"Watch, Kaelen," Hecate whispered. "Watch the end of your new life."
In the gorge below, the first of the Iron Fang cavalry entered the kill zone. At their head, riding a black stallion, was Fenrir.
He looked ragged, his armor decorated in mud, his eyes fixed on the hill where I was being held.
"Stop him!" I yelled at Valerius. "If you ever cared for me as your brother, stop this!"
Valerius didn't look at me. He raised a hand, ready to give the signal to the archers hidden in the rocks.
"I did care for you, Kaelen," Valerius said. "That's why I'm going to make sure you're the only one left."
His hand began to drop.
"Valerius, don't!"
Valerius looked at me one last time, a ghost of a smile on his face. "Welcome back to the real world, Kaelen."