22

“I think Amadeus’s crimson pitaya poisoning is gone,” she said. “He could have easily crossed that line, but he didn’t. He protected you, Aria. Amadeus was only pretending to be hurt by the magic. His muscles didn’t tighten, and his breathing remained calm. Being zapped by magic hurts to the core. Polonius was genuinely zapped, but Amadeus knows he needs to keep you safe. If he was still dosed, he wouldn’t have done that.”

“Well, let’s hope he’s no longer dosed,” I said. “And that he finds a way to escape and get out of Polonius’s grip.” But I was still very worried about my father.

Chapter 8

Lex

We watched as Polonius and his soldiers retreated back toward Brahman’s Peak. Blood still boiled in my veins, and I wanted to chase after him and stab the monster right in the back. Without Polonius, our lives would be perfect. I, however, could not kill the warlord outright without just provocation. While Polonius posed a threat to us only if Aria didn’t submit to their marriage, he’d done n