He'd just stood there. Completely helpless as they dragged the heirless Keeper Queen of Miras away. His ally. His friend. The woman, who despite no training in war, would have risked everything to save him. There was nothing he could have done, not with a blade at his throat. But he should have struggled more, should have seen this coming and brought a bow with him, should have done something other than stand there and watch as Kestra was taken away.

It didn't matter what he'd seen in her last gaze. The pleading he'd found reflected in her blue eyes: survive. Survive and find my mother. Survive and comfort her. Survive and try to stop her falling into that darkness within her a third time. Because if she falls back into that pit within herself, there is no reemerging from it.

It didn't matter. None of it mattered. He should have gone to save Kestra. He should have done something, no matter the darkness that lingered within Myra. No matter the fear he held of that creature he'd seen in her eyes when she thought he had betrayed her.

He should have done something. Anything.

Instead, he'd just stood there, completely useless, just like he had that day eleven years when he'd just watched as Medea's soldiers slaughtered his family one by one...

"It's not your fault," Leticia told him as she struggled with the rope binding her and her sister. "None of us could do anything."

But even as she said those words, he could see the guilt lingering in her eyes. The guilt he knew all too well. Leticia had chosen her sister over her best friend, her queen and the stability of her nation. There was no right choice and it was a choice Jasper would have made for Myra or his aunt a hundred times over, but the guilt remained.

"What if she's dead?" Leticia's mother asked. "What if they kill her?"

"We'll have to wait for an heir." Leticia said, trying to keep her voice steady. "There's never been no queen to take the throne before, so there'd be a power struggle...she told me to be her regent, so I might have a chance of ruling until the next heir comes of age..." Leticia's mother gasped in astonishment, but her daughter ploughed on anyway. "Myra would probably take charge though. If worst comes to worst and there's a civil war, she can march in and take control of the queendom." The vizier of Zerena repeated these facts as emotionlessly as she could, but even Jasper could see the fear in her face.

"Finally!" Leticia's stepfather exclaimed as his ropes loosened. He set about releasing the rest of them with a little help from his magic. It was easy enough. The bonds had never been meant to last long, only to incacipate them long enough for the attackers to escape with Kestra.

The thought brought little comfort. They could have killed them all if they'd wanted to. And now Kestra was in their hands...

There was nothing and nobody to save the Keeper Queen now, only her own wits and the whims of her captors.

———

Jasper and Leticia had quickly managed to find Layla, Lysandra and Nala after they escaped their bonds. Within the hour, they'd also located Maia (to Layla's delighted relief), Aegean, Alexandrius, Daemon, Thorn and Radek, who'd banded together to escape the attackers and even managed to capture a couple of them.

All of the viziers, nobles, generals and politicians of the Alliance had escaped unscathed—with the exception of Kestra. The square had been the only place hit, but they'd pursued people through the streets and left a swath of destruction in their wake. Seventy people dead. Multiple in critical states and unlikely to make it till morning. The time for grieving them would come later. Now it was time to avenge the dead and save those that they could.

A scattered few of the attackers had been caught. Those they had in custody had carried poison that they'd taken swiftly after capture, ending all hope of interrogation.

But it didn't seem like the attackers were keen on hiding information. Written all over the city were messages painted in blood:

JULIET ISIDORE, THE TRUE WAR QUEEN, LIVES.

VALKYRIE ASCENSION STANDS WITH HER.

THE TRAITOR QUEEN IS WEAK,

WE BREACEHD HER EVERY DEFENCE FIVE DAYS AGO

WE HAVE MYRA'S DAUGHTER.

NEXT WE'LL COME FOR HER HEIR.

LAST, FOR HER HUMAN HUSBAND.

RISE, CHILDREN OF THE TWINS.

THE MIRASEN EMPIRE AWAITS.

THIS CITY WILL BURN.

But threatening messages in blood were the last thing on Jasper's mind right now—even if the name Juliet was eerily familiar. Even if the messages included a death threat against him and took responsibility for Myra's near death. They'd deal with that later. For now...he had to find Myra. He didn't care what the reports said. Until he'd seen her with his own eyes, he wouldn't be able to stop worrying. Already, he was taking his mind for a stroll into dark, terrible places.

But it wasn't just his anxiety that sent him rushing towards the hospital. He needed to be the one to tell her what had happened. To hold her hand as the fear—and if worst came to worst, grief—hit.

And to tell her that she couldn't go. That she wouldn't be the one to rescue her daughter. Or at least bring her body home.

He knew she'd want desperately to be part of the group that would. Her duty and her love for Kestra would compel her to risk everything to rescue her. Suns, he wanted to go too. To save his friend. His step-daughter, technically, as she'd once teased him.

She'd have risked herself for him. She had done, countless times during Medea's reign.

But there were better and more powerful soldiers than he going on this mission. Nearly everyone in the valkyrie army had volunteered to join. In the end, only Layla, Maia, Lysandra and Alexandrius, Daemon and Aegean were going. Though he knew it hurt the valkyries to have only elves and humans on this mission, it was necessary. Valkyrie Ascension might have spies in the ranks of the Mirasen army, but no elf or human would serve them. Not when their ultimate goal was the elimination of every non-valkyrie on the earth.

And every valkyrie who doesn't agree with them, Jasper thought bitterly. If Kestra was gone, it would be Myra who was hit the hardest. But still, the thought of a world without her quick wit, her dry observation, her loyalty and determination...

Kestra was one of the best of them. Hardened by war, yes, but not as jaded as the others on the High Council were. She was a good friend and a kind soul. If she died, the world would be a little bit darker without her light in it.

Jasper rushed through the hospital reception, avoiding the nurse trying to fuss over the small scrapes he'd received in his escape.

Myra needed him now, like he'd needed her after those two years of guilt and grief and self-hatred. She'd pulled him out then. Held his hand when things got dark. He'd help her now.

"Myra," he said hoarsely as he made it to the top of the final flight of stairs and found her ward. She was still in hospital five days after the poisoning, though she probably could have gone home by now. The medics were taking no risks with their War Queen.

"Jasper," she said, relief evident in her voice. She got to her feet, albeit shakily, and hugged him tightly. The emotions of the night—terror, helplessness, shock—threatened to overwhelm him. He wanted to collapse into her arms and cry into her shoulder. He wanted her to reassure him that it was all going to be okay. That there was nothing he could have done for Kestra.

But...he couldn't. This time, Myra needed him, not the other way around. He had to be strong for her.

"Jasper, what's going on?" She asked, pulling away. "Everyone's panicked, no one's told me anything. What happened?"

"There's been an attack. The Spring Festival—valkyrie extremists, something about the Mirasen Empire and Juliet Isidore—"

"What?" Myra asked. "Slow down, Jasper. You're not making any sense. There is no Juliet Isidore—Oh. Oh, oh three goddesses. Diaz?"

"No, not—" Everything suddenly clicked. The voice. The vendetta against Myra, against him. The hatred of elves and humans. That name: Juliet.

"Diaz. It's Diaz." He said, hollowly. The woman who'd nearly killed him nine years ago. He'd been unconscious during her battle with Myra, but she'd told him what happened afterwards. Myra had bested her general and spared her life. It seemed Diaz had taken that mercy and turned it against her.

"Jasper," Myra asked, face flooded with fear. The expression was so strange on her face. He'd thought nothing could shake her. "What else happened?"

"Kestra," he said, eyes glimmering with tears. "They captured Kestra. We don't know if she's still alive." Just like that, her face changed. Terror Shock. Rage. The glimmers of darkness blooming in her eyes already.

"We need to find her," she said, after what felt like eternity. "I need to—we have to find her. What are we waiting for? We need to go now—" Jasper braced himself for the hardest part.

"You can't go," he told her. "You're still...still weak from the poisoning." Myra went red, fury filling her features. But not the dark, vengeful rage he'd seen before. The rage of the creature dwelling within her, waiting to be let out.

"Jasper, I'm going and nothing, including you, you overprotective mother hen, is going to stop me."

"It's not overprotective, Myra," he replied. "It's true. You can barely stand right now, you almost died a few days ago and you couldn't wield a sword even if you could make the trip to find Kestra. We're talking about maybe two day's travel on horseback in hope of finding her. Galloping, at full speed, hardly stopping for food and water. And that's the easiest part. If we find her, we'll need to rescue her from well-trained valkyrie warriors who are all determined to kill you."

"I have to go." Myra said stubbornly. "She is my daughter. I swore an oath that that I would always protect her. An oath, Jasper. I will not break it, no matter how weak I am or how dangerous it is."

"Myra, if you go you might very well get her and the others killed. The best thing you can do is stay here. We might only have one chance to do this. If you come, you could ruin it. Going after her is not the brave thing to do. It is the selfish one. You're better than that." She flinched at his words. He knew they would hurt, but he knew also that she needed to hear them.

"Myra, you're a general." Jasper pleaded with her. "Think about this. What can a woman who can barely stand, let alone travel, do that Layla, Maia and Lysandra Crimson can't, burn it?"

"There might be something," Myra said weakly. "I can't just stay here while Kestra is held captive, possibly dead or being tortured. I can't just lie in bed while other people are fighting for my daughter's life."

"It's no act of cowardice to stay behind when you're weak and more likely to hurt her than save her. I know that lying in bed while other people fight for her life is the bravest, strongest thing you could do for her right now." She turned away, not listening. She was likely already planning how to escape and go after Kestra on her own. He turned her face until she had to look at him.

"It it is no sacrifice at all for you to ride out there like a white knight and save her, but it sacrifices everything you are to stay here and wait. You have to be brave, Myra." He was begging her now. "Your people need you. The army needs you. I need you, burn it. We need you to live. We do not need you to go out there unprepared. Kestra does not need that. What if she has to risk herself to save you because you weren't strong enough to keep up?" She said nothing.

"I will be with you the whole time as we wait. I will fight by your side,

once you're better and stronger, when the time comes to strike back. But if it is necessary, I will chain you to this room."

"I can't live with myself if she dies and I didn't come for her," Myra said weakly, her last protest.

"And you won't be able to live with yourself if you go to save her and she dies protecting you because you weren't ready. You're brave, Myra. You're strong. And you're the best warrior in the world, but right now the best thing you can do is stay here and pray for her."

She was silent for a long, long time before at last she said:

"I hate being helpless," she said softly.

"Welcome to being human," he replied. "Not everyone is a warrior touched by Sarai and capable of bringing empresses to their knees."

"I've faced plenty of helplessness before," she snapped.

"And I face it every day. It sucks, I can tell you. But you can trust Lysandra and the others to save her." Myra gave him a questioning look.

"Fine, you can trust Lysandra to obliterate them for trying to kill Nala and you can trust the others to save Kestra." She nodded, then said, her voice breaking:

"What if she's already dead?"

"Then you and Lysandra will obliterate them together," Jasper promised.

"And I will stay by your side and help you live life without her."

"And if I can't?" Myra asked, pleading. "If I can't live without her?" Jasper didn't answer.

She had to. She had to be able to live without Kestra. He couldn't face the alternative. He needed her. Myra sighed, finding her answer in his silence.

"It was meant to be me," she said. "It was always meant to be me that died. I'd do anything to trade places with her. To die in her stead."

"She won't die," he promised, though his vow was flimsy and worthless. "She won't die."

"Promise me," Myra said desperately, even though she knew his word changed nothing. "Promise me."

"I promise," he lied, because he'd commit far worse crimes than forswear an oath for her.

Myra nodded and stared out the window once more, her eyes searching, as though she could spot Kestra in the curving streets of Triad.

He didn't have the heart to tell her that she wouldn't find her there.