š Chapter 60 ā The Key and the Cradle
Zara stood frozen in the hall, staring down at the small silver key in her palm.
It was light. Cold. And heavier than anything she'd held since that first moment she found out she was pregnant.
Her other hand instinctively settled on her belly.
She wasn't showing yetānot visiblyābut she could feel the change inside her. The nausea in the early mornings. The aching tiredness after long days. The way her heart beat faster when she climbed too many stairs. And nowā¦ the risk she was carrying wasn't just for herself anymore.
It was for their child.
Zaire's child.
Their child.
And still, she couldn't stop.
She closed her fingers around the key, tucked it into the small cloth pouch at her waist, and turned back toward the West Wing.
There was one thing left to do before midnight.
---
Zaire wasn't in his room when she returned.
His cloak was gone. The sword she'd last seen on his desk was missing. He was out. Likely gathering allies.
Zara sat carefully on the edge of the bed and exhaled slowly.
For the first time in weeks, she feltā¦ fragile.
Not weak. Just aware. That one wrong move ā one fall in the wrong hallway, one careless sip from the wrong cup ā and she wouldn't just lose herself.
She'd lose everything.
She drew her knees up gently and wrapped her arms around them, staring at the wall, whispering aloud.
"I'm sorry, baby. Mama's trying. She's trying to make this place safe before you come into it."
A knock sounded on the door.
She rose cautiously and opened it a crack.
It was Zaire.
His eyes widened the moment he saw her.
"You look pale," he said immediately. "Did something happen?"
She stepped aside to let him in. "Not exactly. But I got another note. Andā¦ I saw Leva."
Zaire stiffened. "She spoke to you?"
Zara nodded. "She gave me this." She handed him the small key. "She says it opens a drawer in the Queen's chambers."
Zaire took it with care, then studied her face. "You shouldn't be doing this alone. Not like this."
"I'm fine," she lied.
But he didn't believe her.
His eyes dropped to her waist, then back up to her face.
"You haven't eaten," he said gently. "You haven't rested."
Zara swallowed. "There's no time."
"There has to be." His voice cracked slightly. "Because I won't lose both of you trying to protect a crown."
Zara's breath caught in her throat.
He walked toward her slowly, then knelt in front of her.
One hand rested lightly over her stomach.
"I haven't even felt a kick yet," he whispered. "Haven't spoken to our child. I've spent so long trying to keep the palace from falling apart that I forgot we're building something too."
Zara blinked fast.
"You're not alone," he said. "Not anymore. I need you to promise meāif anything goes wrong, you run. You don't wait for me. You run and protect our child."
"I can't promise that," she said quietly.
Zaire's eyes shone. "Please, Zara."
She cupped his cheek. "I'll protect both of you. I swear it."
---
Midnight arrived quietly.
Zara and Zaire stood outside the Queen's chamber door, deep in the west tower. Most of the guards had been dismissed, replaced by Zaire's personal men. Lord Rulin stood watch down the hall.
Zara's hand was curled tightly around the key.
She took a breath, opened the door, and slipped inside.
The Queen's chambers were silent, dark except for one oil lamp still burning on the desk. The smell of dried lavender clung to the air ā a scent that once made Zara feel small.
Now it made her feel sharp.
She moved swiftly toward the desk and found the drawer tucked beneath a false shelf. The lock clicked open easily.
Inside was a leather-bound book.
She pulled it free and flipped it open.
It wasn't a journal.
It was a ledger.
Names. Dates. Payments. Seal stamps. And thenā
ācodes.
Messages written in a strange cipher she didn't immediately recognize. But she didn't need to decode them to understand.
These were communications.
Between the Queen and someone named simply **"S."**
Zaire stepped behind her and looked over her shoulder.
"She's been running a second council," he whispered. "Secret loyalties. Shadow messengers."
Zara kept flipping.
Toward the middle of the book was a page with her name at the top.
Lady Zara.
There were five lines beneath it. All in ink.
1. Watched.
2. Gained Prince's trust too fast.
3. Pregnancy confirmed ā threat level high.
4. Possible emotional leverage.
5. If she resists: neutralize quietly.
Zara's stomach turned.
She handed the book to Zaire.
He stared at it in silence for a long time.
Then, softly, "She knew."
"She always knew," Zara said. "That's why she smiled at me in the garden. That's why she acted like nothing mattered. She saw me as a chess piece."
Zaire's voice dropped. "Not anymore."
He closed the book, slid it into his coat, and took her hand.
"Come with me. We bring this to Rulin. Tonight."
---
But they didn't make it to the end of the hallway.
A scream echoed down the corridor.
Thenāsteel clashed.
Zaire drew his sword instantly and pushed Zara behind him.
"Stay close," he barked.
They ran toward the noise.
Three guards were already engaged in a fight near the stairwell. Two of them wore Zaire's colors. Oneāfamiliarāwas on the ground, bleeding.
Lord Rulin.
Zaire rushed forward. Zara crouched by Rulin's side.
"He's breathing," she said quickly. "But weak."
"Traitors from inside," one of the guards hissed. "They were trying to flee the palaceāsomeone tipped them off!"
Zaire's eyes narrowed.
"Someone inside our circle."
Zara pressed her hand over Rulin's wound. Her hands were slick with blood.
"Zaireā¦ he won't last without help."
"I'll carry him," Zaire said, kneeling.
"No," she said, standing firm. "You take the book. You go to Varyn. Let me stay with him until the healers come."
He stared at her.
"You're pregnant."
Zara raised her chin. "Exactly. No one will hurt me. They'll assume I'm too soft. That's our advantage now."
Zaire exhaled hardāthen kissed her forehead.
"I'll be back. Don't move."
He vanished down the corridor.
Zara sat beside Rulin, pressing cloth to his wound, whispering prayers she barely remembered.
Above her, the palace groaned.
The crown was trembling.
And war was coming.