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A servant materializes from the shadows, offering a goblet of dark liquid. I decline with a slight gesture.

“Your brother requires rest, I imagine,” Nyctarian continues, dismissing the servant with a flick of his nails. “My healers report extensive crystal damage to his internal organs. Reversible, of course, but time-consuming.”

“Your concern touches me.” The words taste like metal. “Almost as much as your betrayal.”

Nyctarian remains unmoved. “Strong accusations from a king who returns with his brother and his pet while I lost a dozen elite guards and a cousin of Royal blood.”

“A cousin who led your guards in an attempt to murder us all.” My hand drifts toward my sword hilt. “Who sabotaged our mission from the moment we crossed the rift.”

“Kelaros acted of his own accord.”

“With twelve of your personal guard in perfect coordination?” My laugh holds no humor. “I’ve lived too long for such transparent lies, Brother-King.”

A muscle tightens in Nyctarian’s jaw, then relaxes with forced control.

“Very well.” He gestures toward two chairs positioned near a hearth where blue flames consume black logs without smoke. “Let us dispense with diplomacy and speak as kings who understand necessity.”

I remain standing. “Plain speech would be refreshing.”

Nyctarian sighs, sitting even if I refuse. “Kelaros was a problem long before your brother was taken. His ambitions grew with each passing season, as did his collection of secrets that could destabilize my rule.”

“So you sent him to die."

“I sent him to reveal himself.” Nyctarian corrects, his fingers steepled before him. “Had he returned triumphant with your brother, he would have earned his place in my court. Had he failed through honorable effort, the same. But faced with power beyond imagination, his true nature was bound to emerge, as you must have suspected.”

“You gambled with my brother’s life.” My voice sinks into a warning. “With the life of a Silver Prince. With my life, and with the life of a woman under my protection.”

“I calculated the odds, as rulers must.” Nyctarian remains unmoved. “Kelaros needed removal. Your brother needed rescue.” He directs the final point at me. “And Wolf proved more than capable of surviving the circumstances.”

My silence speaks of my displeasure.

Nyctarian leans back. “Kelaros would have targeted her regardless, as soon as he realized she had Nyt’Fall blood in her. By forcing his hand while you were present, I increased her chances of survival.”

Frost creeps along my sleeve cuffs as Silver magic responds to my anger. “You speak as if you did us a favor, while sending us into a trap.”

“Into a situation,” he corrects without a hint of concern, “where I trusted your strength to prevail.”

“We were outnumbered,” I growl.

“And here you still stand,” he replies. “That is the burden of kings.”

The strategic logic pierces through my fury, unwelcome but undeniable. As king, I’ve made similar calculations, balancing individual lives with realm stability, immediate risk with long-term security.

“You should have warned me,” I say finally.

“And risk Kelaros sensing your preparation?” Nyctarian shakes his head. “He was many things, but never a fool. The slightest shift in your behavior would have alerted him. The plan required your genuine response to his betrayal.”

I pace the length of his chambers, boots silent over the stone. “Your political machinations almost cost the Silver Sithe two Royals. Nothing remains of the Opal Court. Had the backlash not been contained, it would have spread to every connected court.”

A trace of genuine concern breaks through Nyctarian’s composure. “That did concern me. I questioned if you would be able to handle it alone and was prepared to step in if needed.”

My fingers curl into fists at my sides. “How generous of you.”

If not for Amalia, the backlash would have swept through all the sithes. But I cannot say as much without exposing my treasure.

“You used us as bait.”

“I provided an opportunity.” Nyctarian’s fingers trace constellations on the glass, leaving trails of blue light that pulse with his touch. “For your brother’s rescue, for Kelaros’s exposure, for multiple problems to resolve themselves without my direct intervention.”