Chapter 13
I didn't sleep that night.
Instead, I locked myself in my private study, surrounded by wards of my own making, and read the document seventeen times.
*"Cover identity: Already established within Silver Court inner circle."*
The inner circle. That was a small group. Caspian's personal staff. The senior healers. The shadow guard captains. My own attendants.
Someone I saw every day. Someone I trusted.
The Gift of Revelation could detect lies—but only when someone was actively speaking or casting. A sleeping agent, simply existing near me, going about their duties, wouldn't trigger it unless I specifically interrogated them.
Which meant I couldn't tip anyone off. Couldn't change my behavior. Couldn't let the spy know I was aware.
I needed to identify them before they made their move.
By dawn, I had a plan.
---
I told Caspian first—alone, in a room I warded personally, with the Gift of Revelation active throughout our conversation.
His reaction was immediate and genuine—silver eyes blazing with fury, no deception detected.
"How long has this operative been in place?" he demanded.
"Unknown. The document suggests their cover was 'already established,' which could mean months or years."
"Before you even arrived at my court." His jaw tightened. "They anticipated you'd end up here."
"Or they planned for multiple scenarios. Either way, they're watching Aurelia. Waiting for her to develop before attempting reacquisition."
"Then we find them. Now."
"Carefully," I emphasized. "If the spy realizes we know, they'll either flee—taking intelligence with them—or accelerate their timeline. We need to catch them in the act."
Caspian paced, his shadow casting longer than physics should allow. "What do you propose?"
"Controlled information leak. We feed different pieces of false intelligence to different members of the inner circle. Whichever piece surfaces in coalition communications, identifies our mole."
"A canary trap." He nodded slowly. "Elegant. How long?"
"A week. Maybe less, if they're actively reporting."
"And in the meantime?"
"In the meantime, I double the wards on Aurelia's chamber, and I don't leave her side."
---
I implemented the trap within twenty-four hours.
To Caspian's head of staff, I mentioned Aurelia was being moved to the eastern tower.
To the senior healer, I discussed a new treatment protocol involving lunar baths.
To my personal attendant, Lyris—a gentle Fae woman who'd been with me since my first week in the Shadow Court—I casually mentioned a planned visit to the mortal realm.
To Kael, through our communication channel, I sent word that Aurelia's development was slowing.
Then I waited.
Three days later, my monitoring wards intercepted an outgoing magical transmission from within the Court.
The message contained one specific detail: "Subject relocated to eastern tower. Adjust surveillance accordingly."
Caspian's head of staff.
A Fae named Aldric who'd served the Silver Court for two centuries. Trusted. Unquestioned. Above suspicion.
Perfect cover.
"Are you certain?" Caspian asked when I showed him the intercept. His face was granite.
"The Gift doesn't lie. And neither does the evidence."
"Aldric has been with me for two hundred years. He served my sister—your grandmother."
"Which is exactly why they chose him. Either he was turned, or he was placed here long ago as a long-term asset." I pulled up the timeline. "The coalition has been planning this for generations, Caspian. My mother's assassination, my suppression, my false bonding—all of it was decades in the making."
He was quiet for a long, terrible moment.
"What do you want to do?"
"I want to feed him one final piece of information. Something irresistible. And when the coalition moves on it, we end this."
---
That night, I "accidentally" let Aldric overhear a private conversation with Maren.
"She's ready," I said, just loud enough to carry. "Aurelia's development has accelerated beyond projections. We're performing the first full power manifestation test tomorrow night. In the moonlight grove. Just Maren, Caspian, and myself."
A small group. Isolated location. The perfect abduction window.
Through my hidden monitoring ward, I watched Aldric's magical signature flare as he transmitted the information within the hour.
"Tomorrow night, then," Caspian said when I confirmed. "They'll come."
"They'll come."
"And we'll be ready."
I nodded. Then I went to Aurelia's chamber.
She was awake—those mismatched eyes watching me with that uncanny awareness. Silver and gold, Fae and wolf, mine and his.
I lifted her carefully from the pod. She was bigger now—the size of a normal newborn, though she was barely three weeks post-extraction. Her tiny hand wrapped around my finger.
"Tomorrow, some bad people are going to try to take you," I whispered. "But they won't succeed. Because your mama burned down the last place that held you. And I'll burn down anything else that tries."
She made a sound—not quite a coo, not quite a growl. Something in between. Something uniquely her.
I held her closer.
Tomorrow would end this. One way or another.
---
I sent a message to Kael: *"Coalition moving on Aurelia. Tomorrow night. Moonlight grove. Come if you want to end this."*
His response was immediate: *"Tell me where. I'm already running."*
Instead, I locked myself in my private study, surrounded by wards of my own making, and read the document seventeen times.
*"Cover identity: Already established within Silver Court inner circle."*
The inner circle. That was a small group. Caspian's personal staff. The senior healers. The shadow guard captains. My own attendants.
Someone I saw every day. Someone I trusted.
The Gift of Revelation could detect lies—but only when someone was actively speaking or casting. A sleeping agent, simply existing near me, going about their duties, wouldn't trigger it unless I specifically interrogated them.
Which meant I couldn't tip anyone off. Couldn't change my behavior. Couldn't let the spy know I was aware.
I needed to identify them before they made their move.
By dawn, I had a plan.
---
I told Caspian first—alone, in a room I warded personally, with the Gift of Revelation active throughout our conversation.
His reaction was immediate and genuine—silver eyes blazing with fury, no deception detected.
"How long has this operative been in place?" he demanded.
"Unknown. The document suggests their cover was 'already established,' which could mean months or years."
"Before you even arrived at my court." His jaw tightened. "They anticipated you'd end up here."
"Or they planned for multiple scenarios. Either way, they're watching Aurelia. Waiting for her to develop before attempting reacquisition."
"Then we find them. Now."
"Carefully," I emphasized. "If the spy realizes we know, they'll either flee—taking intelligence with them—or accelerate their timeline. We need to catch them in the act."
Caspian paced, his shadow casting longer than physics should allow. "What do you propose?"
"Controlled information leak. We feed different pieces of false intelligence to different members of the inner circle. Whichever piece surfaces in coalition communications, identifies our mole."
"A canary trap." He nodded slowly. "Elegant. How long?"
"A week. Maybe less, if they're actively reporting."
"And in the meantime?"
"In the meantime, I double the wards on Aurelia's chamber, and I don't leave her side."
---
I implemented the trap within twenty-four hours.
To Caspian's head of staff, I mentioned Aurelia was being moved to the eastern tower.
To the senior healer, I discussed a new treatment protocol involving lunar baths.
To my personal attendant, Lyris—a gentle Fae woman who'd been with me since my first week in the Shadow Court—I casually mentioned a planned visit to the mortal realm.
To Kael, through our communication channel, I sent word that Aurelia's development was slowing.
Then I waited.
Three days later, my monitoring wards intercepted an outgoing magical transmission from within the Court.
The message contained one specific detail: "Subject relocated to eastern tower. Adjust surveillance accordingly."
Caspian's head of staff.
A Fae named Aldric who'd served the Silver Court for two centuries. Trusted. Unquestioned. Above suspicion.
Perfect cover.
"Are you certain?" Caspian asked when I showed him the intercept. His face was granite.
"The Gift doesn't lie. And neither does the evidence."
"Aldric has been with me for two hundred years. He served my sister—your grandmother."
"Which is exactly why they chose him. Either he was turned, or he was placed here long ago as a long-term asset." I pulled up the timeline. "The coalition has been planning this for generations, Caspian. My mother's assassination, my suppression, my false bonding—all of it was decades in the making."
He was quiet for a long, terrible moment.
"What do you want to do?"
"I want to feed him one final piece of information. Something irresistible. And when the coalition moves on it, we end this."
---
That night, I "accidentally" let Aldric overhear a private conversation with Maren.
"She's ready," I said, just loud enough to carry. "Aurelia's development has accelerated beyond projections. We're performing the first full power manifestation test tomorrow night. In the moonlight grove. Just Maren, Caspian, and myself."
A small group. Isolated location. The perfect abduction window.
Through my hidden monitoring ward, I watched Aldric's magical signature flare as he transmitted the information within the hour.
"Tomorrow night, then," Caspian said when I confirmed. "They'll come."
"They'll come."
"And we'll be ready."
I nodded. Then I went to Aurelia's chamber.
She was awake—those mismatched eyes watching me with that uncanny awareness. Silver and gold, Fae and wolf, mine and his.
I lifted her carefully from the pod. She was bigger now—the size of a normal newborn, though she was barely three weeks post-extraction. Her tiny hand wrapped around my finger.
"Tomorrow, some bad people are going to try to take you," I whispered. "But they won't succeed. Because your mama burned down the last place that held you. And I'll burn down anything else that tries."
She made a sound—not quite a coo, not quite a growl. Something in between. Something uniquely her.
I held her closer.
Tomorrow would end this. One way or another.
---
I sent a message to Kael: *"Coalition moving on Aurelia. Tomorrow night. Moonlight grove. Come if you want to end this."*
His response was immediate: *"Tell me where. I'm already running."*