Chapter 16

On the funeral day, servants move Diem to the Crown’s royal chambers connected to the gryvern habitat. Comforted by Sorae’s proximity and wary of Luther’s influence, Diem debates funeral attire without guidance. She chooses a plain black gown, arms herself, and takes her first exhilarating flight with Sorae to the arena.

Upon arrival, Diem discovers the court dressed in glittering scarlet; her black attire is a jarring insult. Sorae publicly kneels to Diem, prompting a wave of bows across the arena. Remis restrains Luther from escorting Diem, and Diem lays the ceremonial log on the King’s pyre before ascending to the royal box under judgmental whispers.

To reduce scrutiny, Luther proposes Diem sit with the family rather than on the exposed dais, allowing Garath the honor seat. Seated between Luther and Taran, Diem endures irreverent banter from Taran and a flash of possessive jealousy from Luther. Eleanor, distraught, reveals the custom: red to honor Kindred blood and reflective dress for the afterlife’s glow; black implies disrespect and doubt of the King’s worthiness.

Realizing the political danger, Diem nonetheless refuses to scapegoat Eleanor, reframing the mistake as learned expertise and reaffirming Eleanor as advisor. Luther warns that such “honest mistakes” can trigger a Challenge, escalating their conflict as Diem pushes back with defiance.

As tensions sharpen—with Remis calculating, Garath pleased by visibility, Aemonn attentive, and Lily mortified—Luther ends the exchange to give his eulogy, leaving Diem seated among House Corbois, her authority asserted but her position newly precarious.