Page 72 of Uncrowned

“Born to rise!”

“Forever more⁠—”

“The kingdom in disguise!”

Hair spun around my shoulders as I looked back at the throne and back to Vaughn. Back and forth. Back. And. Forth.

Questions fired off while our conversations surged to the front. I took in the guards, trying my best to piece everything together, but the answers wouldn’t come.

Think.

Think!

Kingdom in disguise.

Kingdom.

“Some of you have known me since I was a boy. You watched me grow up within these walls. You served my uncle, your former High Master. Today, I do not stand before you as that boy. Today, you face the Unavowed in waiting—your future king.”

He walked past me, heading to the other side of the room.

“I’ve spent years learning. Watching. Waiting.” He paused. “The kingdom has always been mine to rule. But it’s not just mine, it’s ours. You are The Order, and I am The Unavowed. We’ve all bled to be a part of this. Tonight, so has my future queen.”

Tears blinded me. I couldn’t stop shaking. My feet were numb from the cold stone, and my body was screaming through pain. Worse… my fate was being handed to me, leaving me no choice in the matter. Queen… of this place? Or… if this was the kingdom in disguise, did Vaughn mean…? No.

I bit my lip, cutting off thoughts that felt damning—deadly.

Fight.

Fight.

Death.

A small sound left me as Vaughn reached the end, turning back to head in my direction. Dead eyes met mine blowing a hole right through the last shred of safety I felt. Lightheadedness hit, but I managed to stay standing straight. Strong.

“Her sacrifice, although not given freely, will forever be harbored in our history.” He pulled out a long knife from inside his suit’s jacket. “But so will the reparations. I, as The Unavowed in waiting, vowed to keep her safe. I was sure, here, she was protected.” He got quiet, his anger thickening like a cloud. “And more than one person failed in their orders. When one of us fail, we all fail. When one of us bleeds, we all bleed.”

His arm lifted and he drew a line with his knife. He stopped, letting the blade bounce on a soldier a few positions back.

“A sacrifice for a sacrifice. My blood for hers. You are my blood. Would you bleed for your future queen?”

Hard eyes jerked to me. No fear. No hesitation. The guard stepped out of line, walking to Vaughn, kneeling before him on one knee. “Yes, Sire.”

“Soon. Stand.”

Again, he looked out, pointing out a guard. Redmond walked over holding a torch but stayed quiet as Vaughn pointed to another guard on the far side of the room. He waited, running the tip of the knife through the flame. When the guards approached, he pulled it out.

“Will you bleed for your queen?”

“Yes, Sire.”

He turned to the other. “And you?”

“It would be an honor.”

Vaughn nodded, the response slowing as he turned to face me. “It would be an honor for me as well. I’ll go first. Penelope. Come forward.”

The floor felt like it dropped out from under me. My legs were shaking as I approached Vaughn and the three guards.