The sprawling spires of Ober rose from the horizon like a jagged crown of white stone. To Gabriel, it was the sight of home—of safety and restoration. To Shino, it looked like a cage.
They reached the outskirts under the cover of a bruised, purple twilight. Shino was limping, her weight leaning heavily on Gabriel’s shoulder. The further they moved from the trees, the more her ears pinned back against her head. The smell of the city—coal smoke, crowded streets, and the stagnant water of the moats—was an assault on her senses.
"We can’t go through the main gate," Gabriel whispered, his eyes scanning the ramparts. Even from this distance, they could see the banners of the Royal Guard. But something was wrong. The flags weren't flying at full mast; they were black-edged. "They’ve already declared me dead."
"If you walk up to those guards, they’ll finish the job before you can say your name," Shino rasped, her hand tightening on her bow, which Gabriel had recovered from the forest floor. "Who benefits if you’re a ghost?"
"My Uncle, Duke Malphas," Gabriel said, his jaw tightening. "He commands the Iron Crest. If he’s in the city, the palace is a trap."
Shino looked at the massive stone walls, then at a drainage grate near the river’s edge. "I’ve spent my life finding ways into places I’m not wanted. There’s a subterranean passage used by the tanners. It leads to the lower kitchens. Can you still crawl, Prince?"
Gabriel looked at his ruined silks and his bloodied hands. He smiled grimly. "I think I’ve forgotten how to walk anyway."
They descended into the belly of the city. The tunnels were narrow and slick with slime, a far cry from the majestic Weir-trees. Shino moved with a grim determination, her feline instincts guiding them through the pitch-black maze. As they climbed a rusted ladder toward the palace basement, she stopped.
"This is as far as I go," she whispered.
Gabriel looked up at the trapdoor, then back at her. The dim light of the sewers caught the gold in her eyes. "What? No. You’re coming with me. I need your testimony, Shino. I need the people to see who really saved me."
Shino shook her head, her tail giving a sad, slow flick. "Look at me, Gabriel. I’m a Cait Sith. To your people, I’m a curiosity at best and a monster at worst. If I stand beside you, your Uncle will say you’ve been bewitched by a 'cat-demon.' It will only make his lies easier to believe."
"I don't care what they say," Gabriel argued, grabbing her hand.
"I do," she replied softly. She reached into her pouch and pulled out the half-broken Seeker’s Stone. "I didn't do this for a statue in your plaza. I did it for this. And for the man who jumped off a tree for me."
She pressed the stone into his palm. "The Star of the West is in the vault. The entrance is behind the tapestry of the First Founding. Take it. Use it as proof of your right to rule. And then... bring it to the forest edge at the next full moon."
Before Gabriel could protest, the sound of heavy boots echoed from above. The kitchen staff was moving. The palace was waking up.
"Go," Shino commanded, her voice returning to its cool, sharp edge. "Be a King, Gabriel. I’ll stay in the shadows. If anyone tries to stop you before you reach the throne... they’ll find an arrow in their throat before they can draw their breath."
Gabriel looked at her one last time—a lone archer in the dark, her blue hair glowing like moonlight in the damp tunnel. He nodded, tucked the stone into his belt, and pushed the trapdoor open.
He emerged into a world of gold leaf and marble, a ghost returning to haunt his own house. Behind him, the trapdoor clicked shut. Shino was gone, but he could feel the weight of her gaze from the vents and the rafters.
He wasn't alone. He was a Prince with a Shadow at his back.
As he strode toward the Great Hall, he heard the herald’s voice booming through the doors: "All hail the Regent, Duke Malphas! Long live the Iron Crest!"
Gabriel pushed the double doors open, the wood groaning as he stepped into the light. "The reports of my death," he shouted, his voice ringing with a strength he had learned in the Whispering Woods, "have been greatly exaggerated."
The room went silent. In the high rafters, hidden among the shadows of the stone gargoyles, a single golden eye narrowed. Shino notched an arrow, her breath held, waiting for the
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first sign of steel.
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and then Add to home screen.