Page 261 of Between Two Kings

They are speaking of rebellion.

I thought most of the Senecas went back to the sea. Are there even enough left to rebel?

They went to the sea to follow Rowe. He has planted seeds of dissent ever since. When the outcome of the tournament was not in his favor, it only made him angrier.

How do you know this?

I have seen it myself.

When?

He didn’t answer.

Tem thought about the gap of time after the tournament when Caspen had been gone for days. When she’d asked him where he was, all he’d said was that he was with Apollo. Was this the true answer? That he had been to the sea, that he had seen the signs of rebellion with his own eyes?

But what does this mean, Caspen?

It means that Rowe has become more powerful since the tournament.

Without thinking, Tem’s gaze fell to Caspen’s neck. The bite mark wasn’t bleeding, but it was red and angry, as if it were about to.

He plans to use that power to dethrone me.

You mean he plans to use your power.

Caspen didn’t reply. They both knew the implications of the bite—how Rowe could siphon from Caspen until there was nothing left to siphon.

The Seneca man was still waiting for his answer.

Finally, Caspen said, “You just heard from the human king. The villagers will be fed; there will be no more attacks.”

The man stood. “That’s not good enough.”

Caspen stood too. “You have my word. That is good enough.”

The rest of the council stood too. Immediately, Tem stepped closer to Leo.

“Perhaps your word no longer holds weight, Caspenon. Perhaps the time has come to step aside.”

“Step aside?” Caspen scoffed. “And who would you have take my place? Rowe? He is a disgrace. He used bloodletting to galvanize himself. It is against our laws. He cannot be rewarded for that.”

“Perhaps our laws are outdated. Rowe is a visionary. He sees a new way to power.”

Caspen’s words returned to Tem suddenly: The royals make their own rules. So, apparently, did the Senecas.

“That way is wrong,” Caspen said, his voice low. “We corrupt ourselves if we allow it.”

Basilisks determined their ranking by their sexual prowess. It was how they decided who ascended, who ruled. If Rowe had figured out a way to bypass it—to use his blood to give himself power and to take Caspen’s—their entire society was at risk. It would change everything about the way basilisks lived. It made it so anyone, no matter who they were, could fight for the throne. There would be no order, no process. It would be chaos.

The Senecas who stayed were supposed to be loyal, to fall in line. But the basilisks before her were anything but compliant. Tem knew without question that the meeting had spun out of control. Her gaze found Leo’s. She wished she could reach his mind.

“The Drakons have ruled long enough,” the man said. “It is time for a change.”

Caspen opened his mouth to reply. But his words were cut off by the loudest crack Tem had ever heard. Everyone in the room looked up at the same time to see an enormous fissure split the ceiling. There was another crack, and the crevice split more, fracturing into a lightning bolt. Rock began to fall.

Leo’s arms wrapped immediately around Tem’s waist, yanking her sharply away from the damage. All around them, the council members were in chaos, some running from the room while others cowered in their seats, their hands above their heads. Through it all, Caspen’s eyes met hers.

It has begun.