The second blast of the horn tore through the night like a warning to the gods themselves.
Aria's stomach dropped. That wasn't an alarm for stray thieves or drunken troublemakers — that was the Siege Call, a sound that meant danger had crossed the palace walls.
The garden around them, moments ago thick with tension, erupted into motion.
Guards poured out from the hedge-lined paths, their armor catching the moonlight in jagged flashes.
Steel clinked, boots pounded the gravel, and voices barked orders in quick, sharp bursts.
The Obsidian King's eyes never left hers. "You're coming with me."
Before she could speak, the Sunlit King stepped in front of her, his golden cloak flaring like a banner.
"She's under my protection tonight." His voice carried, sharp enough to cut through the shouts of the approaching guards.
The Obsidian King's jaw tightened. "She won't survive your protection."
A squad of guards reached them, weapons ready.
"Your Majesties," their captain said, bowing to each in turn, though his eyes darted to Aria with barely disguised suspicion. "By order of the Council, the palace is sealed. No one in, no one out."
The Obsidian King's gaze flicked to Aria's sleeve — a fleeting glance that made her heart hammer faster.
The Sunlit King caught the look and stepped closer to her, so close his shoulder brushed hers.
"If anyone sees what you're holding," he whispered, "they'll kill you for it before you can explain."
She swallowed hard, feeling the glass of the vial dig into her palm.
The Obsidian King spoke up. "Captain, I'll take her to my wing until the threat is neutralized."
"Denied," the Sunlit King snapped. "She comes to mine."
The captain's eyes widened at the open defiance, but before he could speak, another horn blast cut through the night — shorter this time, urgent.
That was the Call to Assemble.
It meant the kings were being summoned to the Council Chamber.
It also meant that whatever danger had entered the palace was not just a threat — it was political.
The two kings stared at each other for a long, unbroken moment before the Obsidian King stepped back, his voice like gravel. "Fine. But I'm not leaving her out of my sight."
The Sunlit King's reply was smooth, but cold. "Then you'll follow me like a shadow, Your Majesty."
The walk to the Council Chamber was a maze of shuttered corridors and guarded doorways.
Every corner seemed sharper, every echo louder. Servants were nowhere to be seen — the lockdown had swept them into hiding like leaves before a storm.
Aria kept her head down, though she felt the eyes of every guard follow her as she passed.
When they reached the massive obsidian doors of the chamber, the air was thick with heat and stone-damp cold.
The other kings were already there — the Frostlands King with ice in his beard, the Desert King with sand still clinging to his boots, and several others with expressions too carefully neutral to be real.
All of them looked at her.
The Council Lord, an ancient man whose voice still carried like thunder, rose from his seat.
"There has been a breach," he said. "An intruder reached the western greenhouses before the alarm was raised."
The Frostlands King's eyes narrowed. "The western greenhouses…" His gaze slid to Aria like a blade. "The Midnight Bloom."
A murmur rippled through the room, but the Desert King's voice cut through it.
"And who," he asked, eyes locked on her, "was found near that very place when the horn was sounded?"
The silence that followed was heavy enough to crush the breath from her chest.
Before she could answer, the Obsidian King stepped forward. "If you have an accusation, make it. But be prepared to defend it."
The Sunlit King added, "And be prepared to name all who might benefit from the flower's disappearance."
The Council Lord raised a hand for silence, but before he could speak, a guard burst through the door, panting.
"They've found something," he said, voice shaking.
And then, with every king's eyes fixed on him, he held it up for all to see — a broken glass vial.