I dropped my blade, ignoring the moisture that trickled down my spine. “What is it, Gabriel”

He glanced at me, uncertain, and then he looked to Zafir, mutely assessing the unusual situation. “It’s just that . . . well, I was sent to tell you . . . there’s someone coming.” He clutched and unclutched his stubby fingers in front of him as he spoke.

I turned to Zafir. “Xander” I breathed. And then to the boy. “Are they back Are Xander and Niko here”

This time I couldn’t subdue her, and Sabara’s hopes became my own. Niko, she whispered, his name filling every part of me.

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to block her out. “I—I don’t know, Your Majesty.” My question made Gabriel shift even more, made him fidget and stammer. “I—I was only told to fetch you.”

I barely heard his last words as I was already running toward the palace. I’d dropped my sword—a cardinal sin, I knew—and left it lying in the grassy field, unsheathed, and