MINGAN'S POV
The morning light in Lamia had a certain weight to it. It poured through the windows of my private chambers in thick bands, dust motes drifting in the air like tiny spies listening in on my thoughts. I had been awake for hours, reading reports and moving pieces across my mental board. The world outside the palace believed the third trial was tonight's only story. They were wrong.
Koda was the story. Koda and the choices he would soon have to make.
My plans had been nearly jeopardized but I had learned to maneuver it to my advantage. I had shaped this morning carefully. From the first words I gave him in the corridor, to the tone I used when I placed the idea in his mind. Regicide was a heavy word, but heavy words had their uses. I knew it would plant roots in him. Still, roots could grow in any direction if left alone. Which was why Mira was supposed to be my water and sun.
The soft knock at my door told me she had arrived right on time.
