Sera's POV
I can't breathe.
Lucian stands in the Emperor's chamber, pointing at me like I'm a criminal. Again. Just like at the trial.
This servant knows who tried to assassinate you, Your Majesty, Lucian says, his voice dripping with fake concern. I have proof.
Emperor Caspian's cold eyes turn to me. Explain.
My mouth is dry. What do I say? If I defend myself, Lucian will twist it into lies. If I stay silent, I look guilty.
But then I remember something. Day Caspian doesn't remember the night. He doesn't know I saved him. To him, I'm just a random servant who happened to be in his room at dawn.
I can use that.
I don't know what Lord Lucian is talking about, Your Majesty, I say quietly, keeping my eyes down. I was sent to deliver a message. That's all.
Lies, Lucian snaps. He pulls out a piece of paper. A guard reported seeing you sneaking through the servant passages late last night, heading toward the Emperor's wing. What business does a kitchen servant have in this area after midnight?
My heart stops. Someone saw us.
I was lost, I say quickly. I'm new here. The hallways all look the same.
Lost? Lucian's smile is cruel. Or were you meeting someone? Perhaps passing information to the assassin?
That's ridiculous
Enough. Caspian's voice cuts through the air like a blade. He looks at Lucian. What proof do you actually have? Not speculation. Proof.
Lucian hesitates for just a second. He doesn't have real proof. He's fishing.
The guard's testimony, Your Majesty. And the fact that someone clearly tried to kill you last night. We found blood in the east corridor. Someone was injured. Someone who then disappeared without a trace.
Caspian's expression doesn't change, but I see his hand twitch slightly. He's remembering something. Or trying to.
Why would a servant want me dead? Caspian asks.
Revenge, Lucian says smoothly. This is Sera Ashlyn. The traitor you sentenced to servitude last week. Perhaps she blames you for her fall from grace.
The room goes silent.
I feel Caspian's eyes on me, studying me with new intensity.
Sera Ashlyn, he repeats slowly. The one convicted of stealing from my vault.
Yes, Your Majesty. The very same. Lucian steps closer to me. Perhaps she's working with whoever framed her. Or perhaps the assassination attempt is her own revenge.
I want to scream that HE'S the one who framed me. That HE'S probably behind the assassination attempts too. But I have no proof. Just like last time.
Look at her, Your Majesty, Lucian continues. She has temporal magic. Rare magic that can manipulate time itself. Perfect for someone trying to sneak past guards and cover their tracks.
How does he know about my magic? I've kept it hidden since arriving at the citadel.
Unless he's been watching me since before the trial. Planning this for even longer than I thought.
Caspian is quiet for a long moment. Then he speaks, and his voice is like ice.
Sera Ashlyn. Show me your hands.
I have no choice. I hold out my hands.
They're still glowing faintly from healing him earlier. The temporal magic hasn't fully faded yet.
Lucian's eyes light up with triumph. You see? She's been using magic. In the Emperor's own chambers. Who knows what spell she was casting?
I wasn't I start, but Caspian raises his hand.
Silence.
He steps closer to me. So close I can see the exact moment his cold eyes flicker with something else. Confusion. Like there's a memory trying to surface but can't quite break through.
Your magic, he says quietly. Show me what it does.
It's not a request. It's an order.
My hands shake as I summon a small thread of temporal magic. Time slows around my fingertips, making the dust particles in the air freeze mid float.
Caspian stares at it. Then his eyes snap to mine.
Temporal magic lets you see through illusions, he says. Through magical barriers. Through... curses.
My breath catches. He's testing me. Trying to figure out if I know his secret.
Yes, Your Majesty, I whisper.
Then tell me. He leans in close enough that only I can hear. What do you see when you look at me?
This is it. If I tell the truth, Lucian will hear. If I lie, Caspian will know.
I make my choice.
I see exactly what everyone else sees, Your Majesty, I say clearly. An immortal emperor who cannot die.
Something flashes in his eyes. Disappointment? Relief? I can't tell.
He steps back. Lord Lucian, your evidence is circumstantial at best. A servant wandering hallways is not proof of assassination.
Lucian's face goes red. But Your Majesty
However, Caspian continues, and my stomach drops, I agree that this servant's presence in my chambers at dawn is... suspicious. He turns to me. You will be reassigned. Effective immediately, you will work as my personal night attendant.
The room spins. Your Majesty?
You will report to my chambers every night at midnight, he says, his voice betraying nothing. You will assist with whatever tasks I require until dawn. You will speak to no one about what you see or hear during those hours. Disobey, and you will be executed. Is that clear?
He's giving me access to his mortal hours. On purpose. Even though Day Caspian doesn't remember Night Caspian, some part of him knows he needs me.
Yes, Your Majesty, I whisper.
Lucian looks like he wants to argue, but he can't. The Emperor has spoken.
Dismissed, Caspian says. Both of you.
Lucian shoots me a look of pure hatred as we leave. In the hallway, he grabs my arm hard enough to bruise.
I know what you're doing, he hisses. I don't know how you seduced the Emperor, but it won't work. You're going to die in that citadel, Sera. Just like you were supposed to die at the trial.
He releases me and storms off.
I stand there, shaking, my arm throbbing.
So Lucian wanted me dead from the beginning. The trial was supposed to end in execution, not servitude. The Emperor's unusual sentence ruined his plans.
Which means Lucian is probably behind the assassination attempts too. If he can't kill me, he'll kill Caspian and somehow blame it on me.
I need to warn Night Caspian tonight. We have less than three days now.
I rush back to my servant quarters to prepare for my first official night assignment. But when I open my door, I freeze.
Someone's been in my room.
My thin mattress is slashed open. My few belongings are scattered. And on my pillow, there's a note written in red ink that looks disturbingly like blood:
Stop helping him, or your father dies next.
My father. The man who disowned me. The man who chose the pack over me.
But he's still my father.
I flip the note over with shaking hands.
On the back is a sketch. A detailed drawing of my father tied to a chair in a dark room. His face is bruised. His eyes are terrified.
This isn't a future threat.
They already have him.
And below the sketch, one final line:
Midnight tonight. Come alone to the east tower. Trade yourself for him, or we kill you both.
It's signed with a symbol I recognize instantly the mark of the Temple of Dawn.
The same temple that cursed the Emperor a thousand years ago.
This isn't just about assassination anymore.
Someone wants both me and Caspian dead, and they're connected to the very source of his curse.
I have exactly twelve hours to decide: save my father, or save the Emperor.
I can't do both.