Sera's POV
Three days? I whisper, still holding the bleeding Emperor in my tiny servant room. What happens in three days?
Caspian's eyes flutter. He's losing too much blood. His mortal body is dying right here in my arms.
They know my pattern now, he gasps. The assassin. They've been watching. Learning. In three days, they'll have everything they need to kill me permanently.
Who? Who's trying to kill you?
I don't know. His voice is getting weaker. Every night I'm mortal, I lose my memories when dawn comes. I can't remember faces. Can't remember clues. I wake up immortal again with nothing but... He tries to reach into his pocket but his hand falls.
I reach in for him and pull out a small leather journal.
Notes, he finishes. All I have are notes. But they're not enough. I can't solve this alone anymore.
His head drops against my shoulder. His breathing is shallow.
No. He's not dying in my room. Not after dropping this bomb on me.
I rip a strip from my blanket and press it against his wound. My hands start to glow faint, but there. My temporal magic is weak after being suppressed for so long, but it's still there.
What are you doing? he asks.
Saving your life. Hold still.
I channel what little magic I have left into slowing his bleeding. It's not healing, exactly. More like pausing time around the wound so it can't get worse. It's all I can manage.
Caspian stares at me with wide eyes. You have temporal magic. That's why you can see through the curse. That's why He winces in pain.
Save your strength, I tell him. We can talk after you're not dying.
I work on him for what feels like hours but is probably only minutes. Finally, the bleeding stops. The wound is still there, but it's not fatal anymore.
He slumps against my wall, looking exhausted. Thank you.
Don't thank me yet. I sit back on my heels, my hands shaking from the effort. You said you need my help. What exactly do you want me to do?
Be my memory, he says simply. Every night when I'm mortal, I'll tell you everything I learn. You'll remember it for me. Help me piece together who's trying to kill me before it's too late.
And what do I get in return?
His lips curve into a tiny smile. It's strange seeing the cold Emperor smile. You want revenge on the people who framed you, don't you? Help me survive, and I'll help you destroy them.
My heart skips. You believe I'm innocent?
I don't know if you're innocent or not, he admits. But I know you're smart. And brave. And you just saved my life when you could have let me die and solved all your problems. He looks at me intently. That tells me everything I need to know about your character.
A crash sounds somewhere in the citadel. We both freeze.
They're searching for me, Caspian whispers. They know I'm wounded. If they find me here with you
They'll kill us both, I finish.
He struggles to stand. I help him up, and he leans heavily against me.
I need to get back to my chambers before dawn, he says. Can you help me?
I should say no. This is insane. Getting involved with the Emperor's assassination plot will get me killed faster than scrubbing floors.
But when I look at him really look at him I don't see the cold immortal who sentenced me. I see a man who's been alone and hunted for who knows how long. A man who's desperately trying to survive but can't even remember why he's in danger.
Come on, I say, pulling his arm over my shoulders. But if we get caught, I'm telling them you kidnapped me.
He actually laughs. It's a small, pained sound, but it's real.
We slip into the hallway. It's dark and empty. I guide him through passages I've learned over the past week, avoiding the main corridors where guards patrol.
How do you know these paths? he asks.
I'm a servant. We're invisible, remember? We see everything.
We're almost to his wing when we hear voices approaching. I panic and pull him into a storage closet, pressing us both against the back wall.
It's cramped. Dark. I can feel his heart beating against my shoulder fast and very, very human.
Footsteps pass by. Two guards talking in low voices.
The Emperor was seen heading toward the servant quarters earlier. Lord Lucian wants to know why.
My blood turns to ice. Lucian. Of course he's involved.
Maybe he's finally taking a lover, the other guard jokes.
Don't be stupid. The Emperor doesn't do that. He's probably just inspecting the servants. Making sure they're working.
The voices fade away.
Caspian and I stay pressed together in the darkness for another minute, just to be safe. Then I feel him sway.
Stay with me, I whisper urgently. We're almost there.
We make it to his chambers just as the sky starts to lighten. Dawn is coming.
You need to leave, Caspian says, pushing away from me to stand on his own. When the sun rises, I won't remember this. I won't remember you helped me. I might even
Be cruel to me? I finish. I know.
He looks at me sadly. I'm sorry. For what I'll be. For what I'll say.
Just stay alive, I tell him. We'll figure out the rest.
The first ray of sunlight hits the window.
Caspian's body starts to glow. I watch in horror and fascination as his wound seals itself, his skin turning from warm to cold, his eyes shifting from soft brown to icy blue.
The transformation is complete in seconds.
He blinks and looks around, seeming confused about why he's in his chambers at dawn. Then his eyes land on me.
The warmth is gone. He's the Emperor again.
What are you doing in my private chambers? His voice is winter itself.
I My mind races. The head servant sent me to deliver a message, Your Majesty.
What message?
I swallow hard. That you're needed in the throne room immediately. There's been... an incident.
It's a complete lie, but it's all I can think of.
Caspian studies me with those cold eyes. For a terrifying moment, I think he sees right through me.
You're the servant from the grand hall, he says slowly. Sera.
Yes, Your Majesty.
He steps closer. Too close. I can't breathe.
Why do I feel like I know you from somewhere else?
Before I can answer, an actual guard bursts into the room.
Your Majesty! Lord Lucian requests an urgent audience. He says it's about... The guard's eyes flick to me. ...a security breach.
My stomach drops.
Caspian's expression doesn't change. Send him in.
Your Majesty, perhaps the servant should leave
She stays.
The guard hesitates but obeys, leaving to fetch Lucian.
I stand there, trapped, as my ex fiancé's footsteps approach down the hall.
Caspian leans in close and whispers, Don't move. Don't speak. And don't give me any reason to suspect you're more than you seem.
Then he straightens and becomes ice again just as Lucian enters.
Lucian's eyes lock onto me, and his smile is pure poison.
Your Majesty, he says smoothly, I have evidence that someone tried to assassinate you last night. And I believe... He points directly at me. ...this servant knows exactly who did it.