Chapter 16

By the time the bells for third court ring, the air in my tower tastes like metal. Even up here, in my perfumed cage, I can feel the storm below. Servants move faster. The guards outside my door stand straighter, hands tight on their sword hilts. Every whisper that drifts up the spiraling stair carries the same words, like a curse that’s finally ripened. New empress. He must take a true wife. The Moon Captive has brought enough blood. Mara spills a little jasmine water when she pours it...