Sapphire blinked against the pale morning light, the cool breeze brushing her cheeks as she stirred. She was still on the veranda, curled in a chair, but something was different.
A heavy coat, warm and thick, was draped around her shoulders. Lord Typhon's.
Her eyes widened slightly as the scent hit her, crisp like old woodsmoke, and something darker she couldn't name. Something him.
Her cheeks flushed as she clutched the coat closer, heart thudding at the thought of him laying it over her. When had she fallen asleep?
Slowly, she rose, arms stretching above her head, the coat slipping slightly to reveal the linen shift beneath. Her muscles ached pleasantly, and the wind tousled her hair.
She glanced toward the door, wondering if he had watched her sleep… or stayed a while longer.
A soft smile touched her lips. It was going to be a strange day.
Sapphire slipped quietly back into her chambers, the hush of morning still lingering. She folded Typhon's coat carefully, her fingers lingering on the thick fabric before setting it down on her bed. The scent still clung faintly to her skin, but she didn't dare wash it off, just a quick splash of water to her face and wrists, smoothing her hair into place with her fingers.
She exchanged her shift for her usual riding cloth and made her way out before the manor fully stirred.
At the stables, the scent of hay and stallions filled the air. Morning mist clung to the earth as she stepped inside, only to find Raphael brushing down one of the mares, his movements sharp, jaw clenched.
"You're up early," Sapphire said gently.
He didn't look at her. "So are you."
She tilted her head. "You're in a mood."
Raphael finally glanced at her, brow raised. "Must be something in the air."
Sapphire narrowed her eyes. "Or someone's tail is in a twist."
He gave her a dry look. "Humans are far too perceptive for their own good."
She smirked. "And you're sulking."
"Am not," he muttered, brushing harder.
"Are too."
He didn't bother arguing, what was the point? This daft human was a master at poke-nosing, always digging, always prodding until she unraveled things best left buried. Raphael kept brushing the mare, pretending her nonsense didn't get under his skin. But the smirk tugging at her lips said she knew better.
Raphael's voice was low, weighed down by grief as he said, "I'm going to see my late wife's parents."
The smirk on Sapphire's face fell away as her eyes sharpening instantly, distrust etched clearly across her features. "Why did you kill her?"
He looked at her, pain flickering in his sharp eyes. "Stop meddling"
She didn't flinch, her suspicion sharp as a blade. "I don't believe you because coincidences like this... they don't just happen. Besides, didn't you say you killed her yourself?"
A heavy silence fell. Raphael's shoulders slumped slightly, his gaze dropping to the floor before he spoke, voice thick with sorrow. "I loved that woman. More than anyone could understand."
He paused, as if struggling to keep the weight inside from spilling out. Then, looking up, his eyes locked with hers, dark and intense. "But... not everything the eyes see is true."
Sapphire's heart pounded. Could she trust him? Or was this another mask hiding something darker?
***
The grand chamber was dimly lit by flickering sconces, shadows dancing on the gilded walls. King Isis sat upon his obsidian throne, fingers steepled, the weight of a kingdom pressing down his shoulders. Across from him, Kael moved with slow, deliberate grace, his serpent coiled lazily around his arm, its tongue flicking in and out, sensing the unease in the air.
Kael's voice was calm, but edged with meaning.
"Some of the Lords, Your Majesty, are… displeased. They think a ball, during times like this, is frivolous. A distraction from the growing unrest."
Isis didn't flinch, but the corner of his jaw tightened.
"And what do you think, Kael?"
Kael's fingers gently stroked the serpent's scaled head.
"My thoughts are beneath the concern of the crown, but… I would be wary. More bodies were found this morning. Drained. Pale. Blue. As if kissed by death itself. The pattern suggests a sorcerer. Or worse."
A long silence followed as Kael's serpent shifted lazily around his wrist as he took a step closer, voice smooth but heavy with suggestion.
"Then… what would Your Majesty call it?"
A pause.
"Do you think it's her?"
The air in the chamber stilled.
Isis's gaze snapped toward him, eyes narrowing like drawn blades.
"What do you mean Her, Lord Kael?" he asked coldly, his voice low but sharp, like a knife pressed to the throat.
Kael didn't flinch. He'd grown up with both siblings, watched them laugh, fight, and eventually split like shattered glass. He knew which names were now poison.
"I must have misunderstood, Your Majesty," Kael said, with a mocking half-bow. "After all these years, I see you still protect her… in your own way."
Isis's jaw tightened. The name Dalia hung unspoken between them, like a specter neither wanted to summon.
"She may wear a crown now," Kael added, "but she hasn't stopped wishing for Hivites to burn."
Isis turned away, his hands clasped behind him, knuckles white.
"That woman is no longer my sister," he muttered.
But Kael, ever daring, only smiled faintly.
"You and I both know blood doesn't vanish so easily, Your Majesty."
To ease the tension he spoke again, something he had thought about
"Your Majesty," he began, eyes trained on the flickering flames of the brazier, "the rift between Lord Hugh and Lord Cassian weakens our borders. But a fracture can be mended... with the right bond."
Isis didn't look up immediately, but the stillness in his fingers signaled his interest. "What sort of bond?"
Kael's smile was slight, almost imperceptible. "Marriage. Lord Hugh's daughter — young, impressionable, and above all, tied to ancestral lands. A union would force Cassian's loyalty and temper Hugh's ambition. Two old wolves under one leash."
King Isis finally turned his eyes to Kael, sharp and unreadable. "And who holds the leash?"
Kael met his gaze with practiced innocence. "You do, Majesty. Of course."
The fire cracked softly between them. Silence fell, thick with meaning. Kael's suggestion had been made, not forced, never forced, just carefully planted like a seed, left to take root in the king's mind.
"You always know how to do things, Kael," King Isis muttered, watching him with narrowed eyes.
Kael bowed slightly, that ever-smooth smile tugging at his lips. "I do it for the kingdom, Your Majesty."
He straightened, then added with a glint in his eyes, "Though… your Majesty's finest wine would make the victory sweeter."
Isis scoffed, waving a hand at the steward. "Greedy."
Kael's smile deepened. "Efficient."
As the goblet was placed in his hand, Isis muttered, "Always so ambitious, Kael." King Isis smiled faintly, a spark of admiration in his eyes.
"That's what I like about you."
Kael's grin grew wider, raising his goblet with a confident glint.
"Ambition is the first step to greatness, Your Majesty."