CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Kel wakes at Marivent hungover after the Roverge party, still troubled by Antonetta’s locket. The locket contained only Kel’s old grass ring, not the information Prosper Beck had claimed would be inside, so Kel wonders whether Antonetta removed something, whether Beck lied, or whether the errand was meant to mislead him. Before Kel can leave to find Beck, Silla emerges from Conor’s bed; Kel is startled, briefly mistaking her for Lin, then helps Silla slip discreetly out of the palace.

In the courtyard, Kel finds Vienne watching Luisa climb the wall. Vienne asks whether Conor will be cruel to Luisa, and Kel admits Conor can be careless but insists he is not cruel by nature. Their conversation turns to the costs of the arranged marriage: Luisa does not yet understand that her childhood and freedom are being taken from her, while Conor understands too well what he is losing. Conor then appears, charms Luisa by offering to show her the Queen’s Garden, and announces that he has an appointment in the city with Benaset.

At home in the Sault, Lin tells Mariam a softened version of the Roverge party while trying to hide her anger, her disturbing dream of Adassa, and the details of Conor’s kiss. Mariam imagines Lin’s visit to the Hill as a romantic story, but Lin insists that Conor is malbushim and that Ashkar girls do not belong in such tales. Their conversation is interrupted when Oren Kandel arrives with Castelguards and Prince Conor, whose presence in the Sault shocks Lin and draws the attention of the neighborhood.

Conor asks to speak with Lin alone and begins by claiming he came to apologize for kissing her, saying the kiss meant nothing. Lin sees through the excuse, and Conor reveals the true reason: he has found and brought her The Works of Qasmuna, the book she needs for research into her stone. Conor explains that he searched Castellane for it because Lin saved both him and Kel, and he cannot bear feeling indebted to her. Lin accepts the book, understanding that Conor wants the gift to cancel his debt and free him from thinking about her, but the charged encounter ends with Conor whispering that he has already forgotten her before abruptly leaving.

Kel goes to the Maze to confront Beck, but the cabaret warehouse is stripped and abandoned. Jerrod appears and confirms that Beck has left Castellane entirely, leaving only a warning for Kel: trouble is coming for the Hill and Marivent, and blood will run from the height to the depth. Jerrod also says he spared Kel earlier because Ji-An seemed invested in keeping Kel alive, and he hints that others besides Merren are waiting for Artal Gremont’s return.

Kel then goes to the Black Mansion, where Ji-An and Merren confirm Beck’s disappearance and explain that Andreyen is already planning how to respond to the power vacuum in the Maze. Kel tells them he is finished with Andreyen’s business because his loyalty belongs to the Palace and to Conor. After apologizing to Merren and Ji-An for past intrusions, Kel leaves, aware that Beck’s absence may reshape both the city and the Hill. The chapter closes with a sacred excerpt describing Queen Adassa’s transformation into the Goddess and her promise to protect her chosen people.